It All Started With
by HPincognito247
Summary: A kiss...a vacation...an 'I love you'...all are important parts to any relationship, and Troy Bolton, heir to the JLB Incorporated, and Gabriella Montez, an aspiring lawyer, are no different. Based on the article, 14 Moments That Define a Relationship.
1. It All Started With A Mix Up

**A/N:** I am so unbelievably sorry with the lack of updates from me lately. School is royally kicking my butt, and while my muse is alive and kicking, I just haven't had the time to devote to it lately. I've got a couple of breaks coming up soon, so I'm hoping that will help with writing and I'll have something up for you soon. In the mean time, here's a little something that popped into my head. I really need to stop using MSN, because I keep seeing these article things and getting ideas that only further distract from my current stories, but to be honest, I just wanted to try something a little different. I rarely write AU stories. I'm just not good at them, so I'm sorry if it sucks, but here you go...love it or hate it.

The article it is based off of is entitled **14 Moments That Define a Relationship**.

Enjoy!

* * *

**It all started with a mix up...**

"Mom, this was _not_ necessary!"

"_Baby, please!"_ Gabriella Montez rolled her eyes at her mother's tone; she knew that 'I'm your mother and know what's best' tone all too well. _"One of my clients owns the hotel and offered the room up whenever he heard you were visiting."_

Stepping out of the elevator and readjusting the BlackBerry that was currently pinned between her ear and shoulder as she made her way down the hotel hallway, dragging her suitcase behind her, "But mom, it's _just_ an interview." Gabriella pointed out, "I'm only going to be here until tomorrow."

"_It's not just an interview!"_ Maria Montez protested to her twenty four year old daughter over the phone, _"This is the interview that decides you're first job. This is the job where you learn the tricks of the trade, this is the job where you start gathering your contacts, this is…"_

"A really competitive job." Gabriella finished, "There are dozens of people who did equally as well as I did in school and probably have better connections."

"_Are you saying I'm not a good connection?"_ Maria asked in a mock-offended tone, _"I'm a lawyer, is that not a good enough connection for my lawyer/daughter?"_

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she watched the numbers adorning the doors, searching for her room: 714. "No mom, but you're _not_ a senator or a CEO, and a lot of these peoples' parents are." Gabriella explained, "Not that it matters. I have plenty of job offers."

"_But you want this one."_

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she stuck her key into the lock of her suite, "Yes, I would like this one, but I'm being realistic. Dream jobs just don't happen with the first job." Yanking the key out of the lock, Gabriella turned the handle and pushed open the wide door, not feeling at all surprised to be met with a lavish hotel suite. "There are starving children in Africa, you know."

"_It's amazing, isn't it?" _Gabriella heard her mom ask excitedly as she shuffled into the room, hearing the door click shut behind her as she came into full view of the room, _"Obviously it's not the best, but I looked at pictures online, it runs $1800 a night."_

Gabriella took in the plush couch and bed, "Sure does look like it."

Maria groaned on the other end, _"Can you not just share in my excitement for one minute? Does everything have to be negative?"_

Moving her suitcase up against the wall, Gabriella felt a slight sense of guilt creep over her, "Sorry mom," she mumbled out, "I don't want to get my hopes up just to have them dashed."

"_I understand."_ Maria relented with a sigh, _"It's times like this that I wish your father was still here. He was much better at psyching you up for things like this than I ever was."_ Gabriella looked down, memories of her father who had died four years earlier during her second year at Stanford coming back to her. She knew what her Maria meant. She loved her mother, but deep down Gabriella had always been a daddy's girl, and his passing was very hard on her. _"He'll be with you tomorrow,"_ Maria continued, _"those kids may have connections and senators for parents, but you have your dad. Don't forget that."_

The corners of Gabriella's mouth tugged upwards, "I won't." throwing her key onto the coffee table, Gabriella grabbed the handle of her suitcase. "I'm gonna let you go, mom. I need to shower, I feel all gross from the flight."

"_Okay, baby. Call me tomorrow after the interview and let me know your flight itinerary."_

Gabriella nodded as she heaved her suitcase onto the bed, "Will do, love you mom."

"_Love you too."_ Maria echoed, _"And you're gonna do great tomorrow. You're ten times the lawyer than any of those other wannabes."_

Gabriella laughed, "Thanks mom, bye." Ending the phone call, Gabriella tossed her phone onto the bed, digging her toilet articles bag from within her suitcase, "Okay shower," Gabriella said out loud, making her way into the bathroom, "you better feel like $1800."

* * *

"My plane landed half an hour ago," the statement was meant to inform, although twenty six year old Troy Bolton knew it would do far more than just inform, "I'm arriving at the hotel just now, I'll be over as soon as I can."

Troy watched the numbers ascend on the display panel inside of the empty elevator he was riding in, willing the numbers to reach seven at a much faster pace than they currently were, _"If you'll just hold on, Mr. Bolton. Your father asked to be informed of when you called."_

Troy bit his tongue, stopping the sarcastic comment that threatened to spill from his lips, "Of course." Instantly the line went silent, no doubt from being put on hold, and Troy pulled his phone away from his head, tapping the screen to bring up his calendar. Snow had begun to fall in New York, and they had delayed all flights as a precaution, something that didn't fit into Troy's itinerary too well. As the head business manager in charge of sales for JLB Incorporated, he had a very strict schedule, a strict schedule he was two hours behind in right now.

"_Troy?"_

Lifting the phone back to his ear, Troy looked up as the elevator dinged, "Jack?"

Propelling himself out of the elevator, Troy heard a sigh on the other end, _"I have asked you repeatedly to call me dad."_

Troy walked swiftly down the hallway, searching for his room number, "Well, when you're about to yell at me for something I had no control over, I don't really feel like your son." Troy explained, "I've already called Jenkins and explained the situation. The meeting's been moved back and anything we cannot finish today, we'll finish tomorrow."

Jack sighed, _"Good, glad to hear that some of my business skills rubbed off on you."_

Troy rolled his eyes, glad that his father couldn't see him through the phone. Of course his skills had rubbed off onto Troy. Jack Bolton was the founder and CEO to JLB Incorporated, a vast company that invested in many different kinds of things, the most profitable of which was hotels. Troy had spent his childhood watching Jack and his mother Lucille Bolton build this company from the ground up, it was impossible to not learn at least a little of what he did, especially after he graduated from NYU with his masters in business and management.

"_What has got you all depressed?"_ Troy came to stop in front of his room, 714, and stuck the key into the lock, _"A month ago you were practically giddy."_

Troy pushed the door open, "I am not, nor have I ever been, giddy." He protested, walking into the room, "I'm just tired, dealing with a delayed flight is rather exhausting."

"_So this wouldn't have anything to do with a certain ex-girlfriend of yours popping up with that actor on all of the gossip magazine covers, would it?"_

Troy tossed his suitcase onto the couch, "Dad…"

"_I'm just saying,"_ Jack defended, _"if it happened to me, it wouldn't be easy."_

"Jackie can fuck whoever the hell she wants to," Troy said bluntly, "I don't care, not anymore. And you can tell mom to stop trying to set me up on dates with her friends' daughters."

Jack chuckled, _"Yeah, I advised her against doing that, but we're just both worried. You haven't dated anyone in a while."_

"That's because I work all of the time, dad." Troy informed him, "Otherwise, I swear, I'd be dating everyone." Running a hand through his short but rebellious strands, Troy made his way towards the bedroom, heading straight for the partially cracked bathroom door, "Stop worrying, dad. I'm twenty six, I've got plenty of time."

Jack sighed, _"I just worry that I've pushed too much responsibility onto you too early."_

Troy pushed open the door and walked into the bathroom, coming to stop in front of the mirror, assessing the dark circles framing his dull blue eyes. His father probably was right, the long hours and constant traveling was definitely wearing on Troy. But this was what Troy wanted. He was good at his job, and when the time came, he would be good at running the company, and if that meant a few sleep deprived days, he'd take them. "I'm fine, dad. Stop worrying."

Troy frowned as something caught his eye, and he reached down to touch the purple toothbrush that was sitting next to the sink. Had the maids forgotten to clean this room? _"You know I can't do that, you are my son."_

Troy, however, wasn't listening to his father as he suddenly became aware that the shower was running. Slowly turning his eyes to the left, Troy silently hoped that the shower had just been left running. However, the sight of the brunette, frozen in place through the foggy glass shower door proved that that was not the case.

"Oh shit…"

"_What?" _Jack asked immediately, _"What's wrong?"_

Troy inhaled deeply, but it was the brunette that responded first in the form of a very loud and high pitched scream.

* * *

Gabriella Montez was pissed.

"Look, can't we just talk about this?"

Ignoring the idiot who had barged into her room while she was showering, Gabriella marched out of the elevator and over towards the front desk. She understood that the room had been given to her for free, but if the hotel couldn't do something so simple as to not double book a room, it was a crappy hotel. No matter how nice the rooms appeared to be.

"Really," the idiot tried again, "I think you and I can handle it."

Once again ignoring the blue eyed brunette, Gabriella practically sprinted towards the front desk, surprising the front desk attendant, "Oh, miss…"

"How hard is this job to do?" Gabriella asked bluntly, "How hard is it to expect to not have someone walk into your room while you're in the shower?"

The hotel attendant, named Carol according to her nametag, looked shocked and Gabriella's assault and the man seized his opportunity, "We were double booked."

Carol's eyes widened, "Oh my god, sir, I am _so_ sorry!"

As Carol turned her head down and began rapidly typing on the keyboard, Gabriella felt her temper flare, "You're sorry to _him_!?!" she practically shouted, "He saw me naked! I'm humiliated, he just got a peep show!"

"Ma'am, please," Gabriella felt a hand on her shoulder, "I'm so terribly sorry for this, my name is Troy."

Gabriella looked down as the man stuck his hand out for her to shake, "I don't care what you're name is, _Troy_." Turning back towards the front desk, "Look, Carol, I understand that this is probably not your fault, I'm just a little humiliated and upset right now, so if you could get us two separate rooms, that would be greatly appreciated."

Carol nodded, "Yes, I'll just have to call my manager."

"I've got it." Gabriella turned her head to find Troy making his way behind the desk, "Call your manager, explain what happened, and tell him I'm handling it."

Carol nodded, "721 is open, we can move her to that room," her eyes turned to Gabriella, "it's a very nice room."

"I'll move," Troy offered, "she's unpacked, I haven't."

"But sir," Carol protested, "I already informed your clients that you were staying in 714."

"I don't mind moving," Gabriella interjected, "I just want my own room."

"Go." Troy ordered to Carol, causing the attendant to immediately take off. "I'll get you into a different suite, is this usually the one you stay in?"

Gabriella shook her head, "I've never stayed in this hotel before, the room was a gift."

Troy nodded, concentrating on whatever was on the screen, "Gabriella Montez?" she nodded her head in confirmation, "Ah…I see what happened. How do you know Jack Bolton?"

Gabriella's eyebrows shot up, "Jack Bolton? The hotel owner? I don't."

Troy narrowed his eyes, studying her, "Who gave you the room as a gift?"

Gabriella looked up, "I don't know his name, it was a client of my mother, she's a lawyer." She explained, "My mom mentioned to him that I was coming to Boston for a job interview and he offered for me to stay in a room overnight at no charge." She rolled her eyes, "Which is ridiculous because I don't need some place this nice when I'm just staying a couple of days."

Troy shrugged, "Take what you can, right?" Gabriella pursed her lips, sending him a forced smile, "Interview for what?"

Gabriella blinked at him for a moment, as though she wasn't sure he was actually asking that, "Law firm. Vichy & Delmar."

Troy nodded, "They're a very good law firm."

"And very competitive." Gabriella added, "And I'm sorry if I'm acting like a total bitch right now, but my future sort of depends on this interview."

"No need to apologize," Troy said instantly, "this was my fault, so this and anything else you want during your stay is going to be on us."

Gabriella felt the corners of her lips tug upwards in an attempted smile at his use of blatant hospitality to try and get on her good side, "You just don't want me to sue you."

Troy nodded, his eyes not moving from the computer screen, "Yep." He said simply, "I've gotten sued multiple times in my life and my parents make my life a living hell every time I do."

Gabriella smiled at his honesty, "So since when do hotel workers stay in the hotel they are employed with?"

Gabriella watched him slip two keys into an envelope before setting them on the counter between them, "I don't work at this hotel nor do I live here." Troy told her, "My name's Troy Bolton, my family owns the hotel. I live in New York. I only stay here when I come for business." He set a piece of paper in front of her, "Please sign here, Miss Montez."

"Oh…" tearing her eyes away from Troy's inquisitive ones, Gabriella grabbed the pen and scribbled her signature, "I'd, um, apologize but you still saw me naked…"

"I'm sorry about that, it was not my intention." Troy replied, "If I'd have wanted to see you naked, I'd have just asked you out to dinner." Gabriella's eyes shot up and she saw Troy's own eyes bulge at his statement, "Not that I just ask girls out to see them naked, it just occasionally works out that way." He added, "Not that I'd have asked you." Gabriella lifted her eyebrows, "Not that I don't want to see you naked, I just…"

Grabbing the key from the counter, Gabriella turned towards the elevator, "Walking away now."

Troy inhaled deeply, watching her walk away, "Have a good stay." Gabriella didn't pause, making her way into the elevator and letting the doors shut behind her, "Oh crap." Shutting his eyes, Troy retrieved his phone from his pocket, dialing an all too familiar number, thankful that he answered promptly, "Dad, I need a favor…"

* * *

"Thank you so much for meeting with me today, Miss Montez."

Gabriella smiled as wide as she could muster, shaking the hand of the elder man in front of her, "No sir, thank you." Retracting her hand, Gabriella sat down in the chair facing the deep cherry desk the elder man, Martin Vichy, was occupying. "I appreciate this opportunity very much."

Martin smiled, his eyes, resting behind the pair of bifocals sitting on the bridge of his nose, remaining on the file in front of him, undoubtedly her file, "I appreciate you coming out here to meet with me, as many have told me, this is a very busy time for you. With the bar exam just passing and interviews for various lawfirms…"

"Actually this is my last." Gabriella inserted, glad that he couldn't see her hands shaking in her lap, "I did the majority of my interviews during my last semester."

Martin leaned back, removing his glasses from his face, "I know, the economy's been tough on a lot of people."

Gabriella nodded, "Yes, it has, but I actually have a couple of job offers, I'm just waiting…"

Martin quirked an eyebrow, "Waiting for what?" he glanced back down at her file, "From what I can tell, you have a very impressive transcript, you've built a life in California, so why here? What are you waiting for?"

Gabriella sighed, mentally calming herself down in preparation for the story she was hoping to not have to tell. "Well…a long time ago, my dad started here, and he always told me that if, and later when, I became a lawyer, that this should be where I started."

Martin narrowed his eyes, "Who's your father?"

"Carlos Montez." Gabriella responded, "He worked here back in…"

"…1976." Martin finished, "I remember him. He was brilliant, a great lawyer. We were very sad to see him go." Gabriella nodded, not trusting her ability to speak, "How is he? He hasn't retired, has he?"

Gabriella inhaled, choosing her words carefully, "My dad passed away four years ago in a car accident."

To give Martin credit, he did look upset over the news, but Gabriella guessed this wasn't the first dead father story he'd heard, "I'm sorry to hear about that."

Gabriella shrugged, doing her best to push aside her emotions, "He always told me that to survive, you had to learn how to be cutthroat with a smile. And he always told me that this was where he learned how to do that."

Martin smiled, "Yeah, that sounds like Carl." Sighing, he glanced back towards the file, "I've gotta admit, I like you, Gabriella. You're charming and personable, definitely someone people can trust in. Plus…you got Bolton to give you…"

"What?" Gabriella asked sharply, her eyes having widened slightly at the mention of the last name 'Bolton'. "B-Bolton?"

Martin smirked, "Yes, I will admit I was shocked. Generally I get calls from doctors, lawyers, senators…but rarely my golfing rival." Gabriella wasn't sure if she was turning blue yet, but she was certain she wasn't breathing. Bolton as in the father of the man she had yelled at and ridiculed in front of one of his employees? Oh shit. "I'm not sure if he's just trying to screw me over, or if you're just that good." Flipping her file shut, Martin pushed up from his chair, "I'm willing to take a chance that it's the latter."

Gabriella watched him carefully as she rose from her chair, "You are?"

Martin smiled, sticking out his hand, "Welcome to Vichy & Delmar, Miss Montez."

* * *

Gabriella could feel her feet fighting against her brain as she made her way down the carpeted hallway. It could've been her mother. Her mother said that the Bolton family was a client of hers and it was possible that her mother had called in a favor. However, Gabriella knew her mother would never do that. Not because she wouldn't want to, but because she knew _Gabriella_ wouldn't want her to. There's always a chance you're overstepping, and Gabriella would never want her mother to lose one of her biggest clients doing her a favor. And if it wasn't her mother, there was only one other person she knew with a connection to Jack Bolton.

Releasing a breath as she came to stop in front a large wooden door, Gabriella brought her bottom lip between her two sets of teeth as she lifted her hand to knock. She didn't have to do this. He walked in on her naked; she didn't owe him anything other than perhaps a slap across the cheek. But still…without it, come tomorrow she'd be flying back to Boston jobless instead of contacting a realtor. The door flew open and Gabriella instantly inhaled deeply, as though she was preparing to deliver a long speech only to exhale quickly upon finding a phone attached to Troy Bolton's ear. "Oh," Gabriella said, her tone surprised, "you're busy…sorry."

Gabriella turned away; preparing to sprint down the hallway, until she felt a hand on her arm to stop her, "No, its fine," Troy said quickly, turning Gabriella back around to face him, "what can I do for you?"

Gabriella shook her head while simultaneously waving her hand, attempting to dismiss both what she wanted to say and the fact that she was there in the first place, "You're on the phone, it's nothing…"

"I'm on hold," Troy said immediately, leaning against the doorframe, "probably will be for a while, what's up? Is everything alright with your room?"

"No…yeah," Gabriella sputtered out, "the room is great. I, um…" Gabriella glanced down, shifting under his gaze. Yesterday, she had no problem standing up to this stranger, even after she learned his family owned the hotel. Yesterday, he was just some creep who had walked in on her showering and gave her a free hotel room to cover his ass. Yesterday, he hadn't been responsible for calling in a favor that undoubtedly led to her getting this job. And yesterday, Gabriella most definitely did not remember his eyes being so blue. "I just," Gabriella started, lifting her eyes back up to meet his inquisitive gaze, "wanted to thank you."

Troy lifted his eyebrows, "For the hotel room?" he asked rhetorically, "Really it's no problem at all. They double booked us, and of the two of us, I'd say you suffered more…"

Gabriella shook her head, "No, um, not for the hotel room, the…" she paused swallowing the lump in her throat, "I wanted to thank you for what you did today."

Troy sent her a confused look, "What did I do?"

"Martin Vichy?" Gabriella clarified, "Look, I know you had your dad call him, and I really really appreciate it, but…"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Gabriella paused, thrown by his statement, "You don't…"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Troy repeated firmly, "I don't know Martin Vichy."

Gabriella glanced to the side, "Uh, you mentioned yesterday that you did know him."

"I know the law firm," Troy clarified, "not the man, although, I'm sure he's nice."

Gabriella knitted her eyebrows, confusion taking over her features, "So…you didn't call your father and have him give me a good reference for the job I just got?"

Troy frowned, shaking his head, "Nope, but you got the job? Congrats!"

Gabriella honestly didn't know what to say. She knew it was him. It had to be him, and she wasn't sure she'd ever been so blatantly lied to before. "Um…thank you, I guess?"

Troy smiled, "No problem, you deserved it, I'm sure."

Gabriella narrowed her eyes, "Did I?"

Troy quirked an eyebrow, "Someone thought you did."

Pursing her lips, Gabriella sent him a look, "Someone?"

Troy nodded, "Apparently."

Gabriella had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes, "Okay," she said slowly, "well, tell _someone_ thank you, and…that if there's any way for me to make it up to them…"

"There isn't." Troy interjected, "Or, at least that's what I'm sure they'd say."

Gabriella smiled softly, nodding her head, "Okay," she started, "sorry to interrupt. I'll, um…bye." Spinning on her heel, Gabriella began making her way down the hallway.

"Unless…" Gabriella froze, her eyes squeezing shut; she knew it couldn't possibly be that easy, "Hypothetically speaking, if I did do what you are claiming, and you felt compelled to make it up to me…"

Sighing, Gabriella turned back towards Troy, sending him a look, "What do you want, Troy?"

Troy smiled, and despite that Gabriella wanted to feel as though she couldn't trust this man, something about his smile made her think differently, "Do you have plans tonight?"

Gabriella's eyebrows shot up, that was most definitely not what she thought he was going to ask, "Uh…no." she stammered out, "I-I don't really know anyone in Boston, and I have an early meeting with a realtor tomorrow morning for an apartment, she gave me a list…"

"Great." Troy interjected, cutting Gabriella off, "I have some work to finish up, it'll probably take me an hour and then we can head out."

Gabriella blinked, "Head out?"

Troy nodded, "There's this great restaurant a couple of blocks from here. I'll take you, unless…of course…you enjoy the hotel food that much."

Swallowing, Gabriella glanced down, "Look, you've been really nice to me, but I just got out of a bad relationship…"

"Me too," Troy responded quickly, "and I'm not asking for your hand in marriage. You gotta eat, I gotta eat, there's a really great restaurant a couple of blocks away, want to join me?"

Normally Gabriella would have said no. Feigned sickness or fatigue, done something, _anything _to avoid situations like these. Guys like Troy, those who have the world handed to them and only follow their own rules, were not the type of guys she dated, she'd been there, done that, and she wasn't about to do that with some random guy she met in Boston. Sure, he seemed nice, but truth be told, Gabriella had no reason to believe that Troy would be any different from his predecessors. Yet…something stopped her.

"Oh, music stopped," Troy said suddenly, and Gabriella glanced to his phone that he pressed a little tighter to his head, "do you want to come, yes or no?"

"Yes." Gabriella felt spill from her lips before she could truly process what she was saying, "Yes," she repeated in a softer tone, "that would be…fun."

Troy nodded, despite that his eyes had turned away from hers, "Mr. Reilly, thank you so much for taking my call," he spoke into the phone, "can you hang on for just one minute?" reaching up to cover the mouthpiece, Troy sent Gabriella an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I have to take this, see you in an hour?"

Gabriella nodded, "See you in an hour." Without so much as another word, Troy took a step back into his room, and shut the door, leaving Gabriella alone in the hallway.

For a moment, Gabriella just stood there mentally replaying everything inside of her head. Had she really just agreed to do what she thought she had agreed to do? All she knew about this man was that he was rich, gorgeous, quick to apologize, and slow to look away when you're naked in front of him. This guy could be an asshole…a pervert. What was she doing? What was she thinking?

And most importantly, what was she going to wear?


	2. It All Started With A Really Bad Date

**_The First Talk Until Dawn:_**

_Astronomers say it takes just over eight minutes for light from the sun to reach the earth. And that's about how long it feels you've been talking, though it's been over eight hours. "My God, look at the time!" you both say, cursing the violet sky. But it's a good sign if all you want to do is talk for a few million more trips into space and back._

* * *

**It all started with a really bad date...**

This wasn't going to work.

"Gabriella, _stop_!"

Gabriella didn't stop, continuing to stomp down the wet sidewalk, ignoring both the twinge in her ankle and the plea of the person behind her. She needed to get to her apartment, once she got to her apartment, everything would be okay. Hearing thunder crash above her, Gabriella glanced angrily up at the dark sky, cursing the raindrops that were soaking the slim black dress she had picked for that evening. It wasn't supposed to rain that night. Hours earlier, when Gabriella had checked the weather, it was supposed to be a warm and clear night. Filthy liars.

"Gabriella…" Gabriella didn't need turn her head to see Troy Bolton jogging up next to her side, his short hair matted to his forehead as the rain continued to roll down his cheeks, "Let me call us a cab."

Gabriella shook her head, continuing on her path, "No cab needed, I'm almost back to my apartment."

"But, you're ankle…"

Coming to a stop, Gabriella shoved away Troy's hand, "I'm fine!" she snapped, her tone harsher than she intended it to be, "You should go home, Troy."

Turning away, Gabriella began digging through her clutch in search of the key to her apartment, immensely glad that her residence was within sight, because Gabriella wasn't sure how much more of this night she could take. How had they gotten here? How had two people who had been, and still were, very attracted to one another been turned into this? Their first date had been…fun. It had just been dinner at some local diner. The waiter had messed up Troy's order and then proceeded to hit on Gabriella for ten minutes, the food had been awful, but the conversation had been wonderful. Gabriella had learned about Troy, Troy had learned about Gabriella, and Gabriella had left Boston with a new phone number in her cell phone and a promise to call. Their second date had, if possible, been better. It hadn't occurred until almost a month after their initial date due to Troy splitting his time between New York and Boston and Gabriella settling into her new apartment and job. Gabriella had invited him over for dinner and again, it had been fun. She had cooked, and following dinner, the two had settled into her couch and watched a movie. Halfway through the movie, he had put his arm around her, and while it wasn't him confessing his undying love for her, Gabriella couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, this thing might actually lead somewhere.

Obviously, she was wrong.

To be fair, none of this was Troy's fault. It was a combination of the restaurant screwing up their reservation, a clumsy waitress who dumped a tray of drinks on them, the idiot who had slammed into Gabriella and assisted in twisting her ankle, their food being cold by the time they got it, too much pressure for this date to be perfect…

Gabriella glanced up at the sky as a flash of lightening illuminated the streets of Boston.

…and the unexpected rainstorm.

Gabriella jumped slightly as a sudden warmth surrounded her, and Gabriella glanced down at the black blazer, she recognized as Troy's, sitting on top of her shoulders. It was damp, having been pelted with rain, but it was warmer than the non-existent coat she was wearing. "Thank you." Gabriella mumbled, glancing over towards Troy, "I'm sorry, it's just…"

"…been a bad night." Troy finished, "Yes, I know. I still wish you'd let me take you to the emergency room to get that ankle checked out."

Gabriella shook her head, "I can walk on it, it's fine." Gabriella perked up as she noticed an empty cab making its way down the street, "You, however, will be going to the emergency room if you don't get out of this rain." she began hobbling over towards the edge of the street, arm raised, "TAXI!"

Troy shook his head, "No, Gabriella, I'm fine."

The cab was pulling to a stop and Gabriella met it, yanking open the door, "You're not fine, you're soaked, now get in!"

"I'll call a cab," Troy assured her, "_after_ I make sure you get home."

"I'm right there." Gabriella pointed towards her apartment complex, "You can watch me walk to my apartment from inside the warmth of the cab."

Troy opened his mouth to argue, but it was obvious that Gabriella was intent on not listening as she began making her way towards the building as quickly as her ankle would allow, "Goodnight!" Troy yelled after her, Gabriella acknowledging his comment with a wave as she unlocked the outer door to her complex. He watched her disappear inside and waited in the rain for a few more minutes before climbing into the smelly cab.

"Rough night?"

Troy sent the cabbie a glare, "Shut up and take me to the Four Seasons."

* * *

"A large, thin crust, cheese lovers with double sausage?"

Gabriella nodded her head, handing the teenage kid in front of her the money, "Yep, thank you." She said receiving her pizza, "Keep the change." Swinging the door shut, Gabriella twisted the lock into place before beginning her hop back to her living room couch. After arriving home and taking a quick shower Gabriella had ordered pizza and cracked open a bottle of wine in an attempt to forget the catastrophe that had been her evening. Settling onto her couch, Gabriella propped her foot on top of the mountain of pillows she had built, repositioning the icepack on her ankle.

"Oh pizza," Gabriella began, flipping the lid of the box open, "how I love you." Sticking the slice of pizza into her mouth, Gabriella grabbed her remote, preparing to resume the movie she had been watching just as her phone began ringing. Swallowing her bite of pizza, Gabriella exchanged the remote for her cell phone, "Hello?"

There was a pause, and just as Gabriella sunk her teeth into the slice of pizza, she heard a sigh, _"Uh…hi."_ Gabriella paused in her chewing, her eyes widening as Troy's voice filtered through the speaker. _"I, uh, just wanted to call and make sure you got in alright."_ What was he doing calling her? He wasn't supposed to call yet. She didn't know what to say to him yet. She didn't know if she even _had_ anything to say to him. _"I didn't wake you, did I?"_ Troy asked nervously, _"I know it's kinda late, but I just…"_

"No," Gabriella interrupted, "no, you didn't wake me."

There was another pause, and Gabriella had spoken to Troy enough times on the phone to know that he was taking his time to choose his words carefully, _"So, I'm guessing you're not calling me as someone is robbing or attacking you."_

Gabriella nodded, tossing the slice back into the pizza box, "You'd be right."

"_Good…that's good."_ He was nervous, and his nervousness wasn't helping hers, _"I didn't get to see you to your apartment and I wanted to make sure you got in safely."_

Despite everything, Gabriella smiled, "I did. Thank you, I appreciate it."

Troy released a heavy sigh and Gabriella couldn't help but bite her bottom lip, _"Look, about tonight, I'm so sorry…"_

"Troy, you don't have to apologize." Gabriella interrupted, "It wasn't your fault…"

"_I just wanted it to be perfect, you know?"_ Troy continued, as though he hadn't heard her, _"This was supposed_ _to be our first official _official_ date, and I screwed it up!"_

"You didn't screw it up," Gabriella argued, "it was just bad luck."

"_Except this is supposed to be _the_ date, you know?"_ Troy asked rhetorically, _"The date where you know. And right now, after that date, the only thing you know is that you want to get off of the phone with me."_

Gabriella opened her mouth to protest, but the words fell dead on her lips. He knew her. Better than she thought he did. During all their texts and phone conversations, she had tried to remain guarded about herself, but it was hard with Troy. There was something about him that made him very trusting, and despite that her brain told her otherwise, Gabriella would always find herself revealing things to him that she never told anyone.

"Troy…"

"_Tell me you're not thinking that."_ Troy demanded, _"Tell me you didn't only answer this call to let me down easily."_

"I didn't only answer the call to let you down easily." Gabriella said honestly, "I didn't check to see who was calling before I answered."

"_And had you checked?"_

"I still would've answered." Gabriella told him, "But…"

"_No buts," _Troy cut her off, _"please no buts."_

Gabriella sighed. Part of her wanted to argue, explain to him that people with chemistry shouldn't still be working this hard to overcome the awkwardness by the third date. But at the same time, they'd connected so well during the first couple of dates…maybe it was just the atmosphere. Scraping her fingernail against the fabric of the couch cushion, Gabriella stared at the paused television screen in front of her, "Why are you doing this?"

"_Doing what?"_

"Don't play coy with me, Troy." Gabriella responded, "I know you. I've read magazine articles about you, tabloid articles about you. You're an heir, you're gorgeous. You could have any girl in any city that you wanted…"

"_I don't want any girl."_ Troy said swiftly, _"I want…you."_

Gabriella groaned, "You want me? You want some frumpy bookworm who spent her entire childhood friendless because her parents moved around so much and turned into a work obsessed lawyer who can't even get a job without your help?"

"_You would've gotten that job without my alleged help…"_

Gabriella scoffed, "Alleged?"

"_And from where I stand, having someone as equally into their job as I am works to our favor in this relationship."_ Troy explained, before releasing a sigh, _"Look, I've had girlfriends who don't understand why I can't be there every second of every day or why I'm flying from city to city on short notice. I don't have time to be a babysitter, and I need someone who understands that. Someone who understands going to work Monday through Friday. Someone who understands how much I cherish the weekends I don't work. Someone I won't wake up if I call before ten. Someone…like you."_

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Troy…"

"_And I never want to hear you call yourself frumpy again," _Troy said sincerely,_ "you're beautiful, Gabriella."_

Gabriella smiled, touched at his words, "You know, if you were here right now, I'd probably kiss you."

There was a brief pause, _"I'll be over in ten minutes…"_

"No…" Gabriella laughed out, "Troy, it's late and it's pouring outside. You're _not_ coming over."

"_Please?" _he whined, _"You can't dangle a kiss in front of a guy like that."_

Gabriella pursed her lips, restraining her laugh, "Well…it's only Friday, so…if you play your cards right, _maybe_ I'll let you take me bowling tomorrow night."

Troy scoffed, _"Bowling?_

"Yes, bowling." Gabriella repeated, "Heavy ball, ten pins, disgusting shoes…ring any bells?"

"_I don't think I've been bowling since high school."_

"Your loss," Gabriella quipped, "it's my final offer."

Troy chuckled, _"Bowling?"_ he asked again, _"Can you even bowl?"_

"I resent that," Gabriella said, her tone offended, "I am an excellent bowler!"

"_No," _Troy laughed out, _"I meant with your ankle."_

Gabriella frowned, glancing down at her swollen ankle, "Oh…good point."

"_How is your ankle?"_

"It's fine," Gabriella said dismissively, "I'm sure I'll be fine to kick your butt in bowling tomorrow."

"_I'm sure you won't have to try hard."_

Gabriella snatched her slice of pizza from the box, hovering it above her mouth, "But I thought you were Mr. Athlete in high school?"

"_I was…to a certain extent. I mean, I was good at basketball, and I was okay at football and baseball with my friends, but not bowling."_

Gabriella swallowed a bite of her pizza, "Really?"

"_Yep. It was the only section I failed in PE. It was awful."_

Gabriella sighed dramatically, "Oh the humanity, however did your reputation survive?"

"_I was cute and had a car."_

"Lucky you," Gabriella mused, "the school bus was torture."

"_Why didn't you bike?"_

"I did when I could." Gabriella said, finishing her slice of pizza, "But in some of the towns the schools were too far away from where I was living."

"_So why'd you move around so much?"_

Gabriella rolled her eyes, shaking her head, "My mom's job."

"_Most law firms don't have their lawyers moving from city to city every six months,"_ Troy's tone was skeptical, _"especially not lawyers who are single parents."_

Gabriella sighed, "It's a really long story…"

"_I've got time."_

Gabriella bit her lip. She didn't generally address this with, well, anyone. The friends that mattered knew because they were there, and her previous boyfriend had known because their fathers had been friends prior to his death, but she had never _told_ anyone before. There wasn't a particular reason behind it, really. The loss of her father was difficult, of course, but to be honest, that wasn't really why she never discussed it. Gabriella just…never had a reason to before. She'd never let anyone that close before. "Uh…" Gabriella started, "well, it wasn't just my mom's job, actually, it was my dad's as well."

"_Oh really?"_

"Yeah," Gabriella answered, settling into her spot on the couch, grabbing another slice of pizza, "you see, my parents met in college…"

* * *

"No."

"_Yes."_

"_No_!" Gabriella said more forcefully, a small laugh escaping her lips, "I don't believe you."

"_Why not?"_ Troy asked, his tone playful, _"Are you under the impression that I'm some kind of angel?"_

Gabriella scoffed, tossing the empty pizza box into the trash dumpster on her floor, "Troy, please." She started sarcastically, returning to her apartment, "The first time we met, I'm pretty sure it took you a good five minutes for you to realize I had a face."

"_I don't know what you're talking about." _Troy said, his tone indicating he was lying through his teeth, _"I was distracted by the…screaming."_

Gabriella snorted, making her way into her bedroom, "You were distracted by something, alright."

"_Regardless, I swear to you, I did do this."_

Gabriella collapsed onto her bed, glancing at the clock to see that it was nearing midnight, "How do you even get a car on the roof?"

Troy laughed, _"Well, I had detention. And to teach me a lesson about parking in the teacher's parking lot, he told me to wash his car."_

"And you put it on the roof?"

"_It was going to rain."_ Troy explained,_ "Seemed like the most efficient way to wash it."_

Gabriella busted out laughing and Troy chuckled at her response, "And I'm sure he thought it was hilarious, right?"

"_I imagine he would've found it funnier had I remembered to put the roof up."_

"Oh no."

"_Oh yes."_

"Oh god," Gabriella laughed out, lifting her hand up to cover her face, "no wonder you got expelled."

"_Oh, I didn't get expelled for that."_

"What?" Gabriella asked exasperatedly, "What did you get expelled for?"

"_Which time?"_

Gabriella jumped as she heard a pounding on the wall behind her, "Trying to sleep!" she heard yelled through the walls, and she shrunk down onto her bed, as though they could see her. The walls between the apartments weren't thick, and Gabriella was quickly realizing that any noise after eleven was not tolerated. "Sorry!" Gabriella yelled back, biting on her lower lip.

"_It's not even midnight."_

"Yeah…the people around here tend to go to bed pretty early." Gabriella made her way off of her bed and into her bathroom, shutting the door behind her. "I, um…I should probably go."

"_Yeah, don't wanna be beat up by the neighbors."_ Troy joked.

Gabriella laughed silently, "Yeah…" she trailed off, glancing around the large master bathroom that still needed to be decorated, "How'd you get expelled, then?" Gabriella asked suddenly, plopping down onto the edge of her bathtub, "What is worse than putting the principal's car on the roof?"

Troy sighed, _"Well, it all started with pink jelly shots."_

Gabriella's brow furrowed, "Pink jelly?"

"_Loaded with vodka." _Troy added, _"During high school, one of my buddies threw this annual party, and by annual, I mean any time his parents went out of town…"_

* * *

"_Did you always want to be a lawyer?"_

Keeping her eyes closed with the phone pinned to her ear, Gabriella sighed, "No, not _always_. I mean, I went through phases, but everyone goes through phases."

"_What else did you want to be?"_

"Movie star, singer," Gabriella explained, "doctor, teacher, nurse…" she smiled, a fond memory surfacing, "there was even this portion in time where I wanted to deliver mail, mom said I used to sit outside and wait for him to come before following him around the block to help him deliver mail."

Troy burst out laughing, _"Gabriella the mailman?"_

"Mailwoman," Gabriella corrected, "and yes…I wanted to deliver mail. Not all of us had the glorious upbringing that you had and could pretend to be rockstars and what not."

Troy snorted, _"I didn't have a choice in what I wanted to be. It was either taking over the family business or taking over the family business."_

Gabriella felt the smile slip from her face at the bitterness in his tone, her eyes cracking open to take in the darkness surrounding her. She had long since been in bed, her eyes afraid to even glance at the clock to read what time it was. She knew it was late, she'd already had to plug in her phone because the battery was dying, but she couldn't manage to end the conversation. "Sorry…" Gabriella stammered out.

"_Not a big deal,"_ Troy said dismissively, _"that's the way it works, right? You get one good thing but you've gotta give up another."_

"Not necessarily," Gabriella reasoned, "I mean, you enjoy your job, right?"

"_I enjoy it _now_,"_ Troy amended, _"but it wouldn't have been the career I would've chosen for myself."_

Gabriella shifted, moving from her side onto her back, staring at the ceiling of her bedroom, "Well…what would you have been?"

Troy sighed, _"Who knows…I was always an athlete, so a part of me always wanted to vest myself in that, but on the other hand, I do like business…but I'd have liked to have started my own business. Or maybe a lawyer, my dad says I like to argue; or a doctor…I don't know, I'd just like it to have been _my_ decision."_

Gabriella nodded, despite that he couldn't see her, "I can understand that."

"_Sorry,"_ Troy mumbled out, _"I always say too much in our conversations." _He admitted,_ "You have a funny effect on me."_

Gabriella felt a blush creep onto her cheeks, and despite that he couldn't see her, she turned her head only to have her eyes widen as they focused on the sight through her bedroom window, "Oh my god, the sun's coming up."

"_That'd probably be because it's almost six in the morning."_

Gabriella groaned, her mouth opening as a yawn escaped, her body suddenly reminded how tired it was, "Now my sleeping schedule's gonna be all thrown off."

"_My apologies, that was never my intention."_

Gabriella smiled, "Yeah…I'm still trying to figure out your intentions."

"_Really?"_

"Mm-hmm," Gabriella confirmed, "I can't figure out why a guy like you would be single, so either you have some major flaw that you are very cleverly disguising, or you have a wife and three kids that you fly home to New York to see all the time."

"_Would it make my intentions any clearer if I said I was signing a lease for an apartment on Tuesday?"_

"Depends, will your children be moving in?"

Troy chuckled, _"No, they'll stay at the nanny's."_

"Oh…well, in that case…" another yawn escaped Gabriella's lips and she knew that if she kept putting off the inevitable, she'd fall asleep while still on the phone, "I need to go to bed."

Troy sighed, _"Yeah, me too. Call me when you wake up, we'll work out the bowling."_

"Sounds great." Gabriella mumbled out, "Talk to you tomorrow…or, later today."

"_Okay,"_ Troy responded, and Gabriella could hear the laughter in his voice, _"sleep tight."_

Gabriella smiled, "Night."


	3. It All Started With A Panda Bear

_**The first kiss:**_

_We know: Duh. But how could we not mention that Big Red moment? It's like no other feeling in the world._

* * *

**It all started with a panda bear…**

"You're really not going to talk to me?" Turning her head to the side, Gabriella sent Troy as seething of a look that she could muster, tearing at the Velcro of her bowling shoes, "I'll take that as a yes."

"You lied to me!"

"No I didn't!" Troy protested, his statement coming out attached to a laugh.

"Liar!" Gabriella spit back, shoving her feet back into her shoes, "You told me you hadn't bowled since high school…"

"I _haven't_!"

Gabriella scoffed as she stood up, making her way towards the front counter of the bowling alley, "207, Troy. You scored a 207! You realize how difficult that is?"

"Um…hard?"

Gabriella groaned, slamming her shoes down onto the counter before spinning to face him, "You said you hadn't played since high school." Troy opened his mouth to repeat his plea that he hadn't, but Gabriella cut him off, "You said you were awful."

"I _was_!" Troy said, mimicking her actions and setting his shoes next to hers, "I haven't bowled in years, unless Wii bowling counts."

Gabriella crossed her arms, leveling her gaze on Troy, "Swear."

"No."

Gabriella's arms lifted into the air in exasperation, "See?"

Gabriella went to turn away, but Troy grabbed her arm, "No, no, no," he said instantly, "it's not that…I just don't…I don't swear. Not like that, at least." Gabriella felt her anger dissolve momentarily as her curiosity peaked, "But I'll do something else, anything else, because I promise you I did not lie. Last time I checked, I sucked at bowling." Gabriella sent him a stony glare, but she saw the corners of his lips turn upwards; he wasn't buying her anger, "Unless, of course, you just want to admit that I won and you're a sore loser."

Gabriella narrowed her eyes before shooting her arm out to point over Troy's shoulder, "I want that."

Troy turned, finding Gabriella pointing towards the prize booth behind him, "You want what?"

"The panda bear," Gabriella clarified, her finger remaining pointed towards the oversized plush panda bear sitting in the top corner of the booth, obviously the top prize, "I want it."

Troy turned back towards her, sending her an odd look, "You want a panda bear?"

Gabriella nodded, "And not only do I want a panda bear, I want you to win me _that_ panda bear."

Troy scoffed, "You're kidding me, that's like 20,000 tickets, it'd take forever to win."

Gabriella cocked an eyebrow, "Guess that means you better get started." Taking a step forward, she patted Troy on the shoulder, "Ski ball is just like bowling, you'll do great."

* * *

"You're perfect."

Troy laughed at her statement, not necessarily at the words, but at the exasperated tone that accompanied them, "I'm not perfect."

Gabriella turned towards Troy, sending him a firm look before shoving the oversized plush panda bear into his face, "You won the panda," Gabriella deadpanned, "no one wins the giant fricken panda, the guy had to cut the tag off."

"Fine," Troy started, rolling his eyes, "I'll give the panda back."

Troy went to reach for the toy, but Gabriella turned, putting the bear out of reach as she resumed her walking, "No…" she whined, "It's mine, you won it for me, you have to ask my permission before giving it back, and I say no."

"Then stop complaining and enjoy your panda."

"I'm not complaining," Gabriella protested, "I'm merely saying that you are perfect."

"I'm not perfect."

"Name _one_ imperfect thing about yourself." Gabriella demanded, "Because trust me, I've been looking and I have yet to see anything. You're rich, you're successful, you're good at your job, you love your job, you seem to be close with your parents, you're smart, funny, and really cute. I fail to see any sort of fault in all of that."

Troy looked up, squinting, as if he was thinking really hard, "Technically my parents are rich, outside of my trustfund, I don't have _that_ much…"

"Fault, Troy!" Gabriella exclaimed, "I want a fault!"

"I, uh, I…" Troy began stammering, thinking quickly, "I'm a slob. I work too much. I'd rather work out all the time than give up junk food…is this what you want?"

Gabriella watched him skeptically, "Maybe."

Troy sighed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, "Well…you're searching for a reason as to why I'm single, right?" Gabriella nodded, "Well, my last girlfriend dumped me for an actor because she said I was boring." He explained, "Maybe that's my fault, I'm boring."

Gabriella frowned, "Boring how?"

Troy shrugged, part of him regretted having brought it up. Troy knew the rules, don't bring up ex-girlfriends. "Work too much, didn't spend my time catering to her every need, the usual."

Gabriella nodded, "I see." She murmured out, "Well, for what it's worth, I don't think you're boring."

Troy smiled, glancing down, "Thanks."

The pair walked in silence for a moment, heading in no particular direction, "So…" Gabriella began, glancing over at Troy, "you don't swear?"

Troy sucked in a deep breath, keeping his eyes forward, "Yeah…"

Gabriella's eyebrows knitted together, "You almost sound ashamed."

"I'm not ashamed," Troy corrected with a shake of his head, "I'm just…weird." Gabriella kept quiet, but lifted her eyebrows in a telltale sign that she needed a better explanation, "I was raised pretty religious…my mom's side of her family is very devout, and you know…swearing to God…"

Gabriella nodded, she understood, her parents had been pretty religious prior to her father's death, "But I didn't ask you to swear to God."

"I know, like I said, I'm weird." Troy reiterated, "I always figure that swearing is for the important things in life, and no offense, but a bowling game isn't one of them."

"Ahh…" Gabriella said in understanding, "So you're pretty religious then?"

Troy snorted, "Hardly. You?"

Gabriella shrugged, "I used to be, before my dad passed away."

Troy let the silence linger between them for a moment, not missing the sadness in her voice. He knew the basics of what happened with her father, but not the entire story. He guessed the story came with earning her trust, and he really didn't blame her, there were things he hadn't told her as well. However, one of the things he did know was that she didn't want to talk about it and he wasn't about to push her into anything.

"I…"

"Did…"

Both broke off, a small laugh exchanged between the pair as their words overlapped. "Did you have any other plans for the night?" Gabriella asked, continuing her question.

Troy shook his head, "Beyond bowling, not really."

"No plans?" Gabriella asked rhetorically, "And to think, she called you boring…"

Troy chuckled, "Do you have anything you need to be in early for?"

Gabriella sighed, "I do, actually. Some last minute paperwork they want me to take care of tomorrow morning. It sucks, but such is life."

Troy stopped, glancing around the virtually abandoned street, "Alright, we'll get you a cab then." Troy pulled his phone out from his pocket, already scrolling down to the cab company, "It will be so much more convenient when I get my car down here."

Gabriella studied Troy as he made a quick phone call to the cab company, requesting a cab to come and pick up the pair, "It'll be about 10-15 minutes." Troy told her, ending the phone call.

"You're really moving here, right?"

Her question caught Troy off guard, "What?"

"You're moving here," Gabriella repeated, "to Boston? No more New York?"

Troy glanced to the side, "Well, not _no_ more New York. I'll still be keeping my apartment and I still do business there, but all the in between time. Time where I'm just working from the office or my computer will be done here in Boston, yes."

Tilting her head to the side a bit, Gabriella didn't let her eyes stray from his face, "But won't you miss New York?"

Troy paused, contemplating her question. "I will," Troy answered honestly, "but right now…staying here is what I want to do." His eyes were locked with Gabriella's, "Right now, I believe that this is where I'm meant to be."

His words were directed at her, it didn't take a genius to see that, and while Gabriella was normally a fairly rational person, as she stepped forward, feeling the giant panda push into her torso as it impacted Troy, and pressed her lips against his soft ones, any sort of rational thinking was thrown out the window. She was unable to use her arms, both of them unavailable due to the toy, however, she felt Troy snake one of his arms around her, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss. She felt his tongue gently probe its way into her mouth just before they broke apart for air, and Gabriella, slightly breathless, felt a smile curl onto her lips as she cracked open her eyes to find his blue ones staring down at her, "Right here?"

Troy nodded, "Right here."


	4. It All Started With Taking It Slow

_**The first morning after: **_

_Some guys you wouldn't share a beet salad with, let alone a whole night. "You want coffee?" he asks the next morning, tossing the duvet your way as he pads to the kitchen. "Please," he's saying by the ease of his actions, "stay"._

* * *

**It all started with taking it slow…**

Really slow. Like, glacial pace slow.

"You're gonna love this!"

Gabriella glanced up from the white American cheese she was shredding and over to Troy, who was standing in front of his stove, stirring the pan full of meat in front of him. "I've had enchiladas before, Troy." Gabriella commented with a smirk.

"Not like this," Troy protested, "this is my mom's recipe, and let me tell you something, it drove my dad crazy when I came home from college because this was all my mom would make." Gabriella smiled, but remained silent, returning to her task of shredding the cheese.

There was a procedure, you know? First date, kiss. Second date, make out. Third date, sex. That was the way it worked. Okay, maybe that wasn't the way Gabriella worked, but she'd only ever had two serious boyfriends, one of which was in high school, and the other who turned out to be a total douchebag. But everyone else operated that way, or at least Gabriella thought they did. So what the hell was taking so long?

"You okay?"

Gabriella snapped out of her thoughts at Troy's voice, glancing towards him to find that he was staring at her curiously, "Yeah, sorry…work stuff on my mind." Gabriella covered lamely.

"Ah," Troy started, "anything you can tell me about?"

Gabriella shrugged, setting aside the shredder, "There's not much to tell yet. Just a divorce case turned ugly."

Troy turned off the burner before bringing the pan over to the counter she was standing at, "How ugly?"

"Pretty ugly." Gabriella answered evasively, "What do you need me to do?"

Troy was already beginning to scoop spoonfuls of meat into tortilla shells, "I can finish these if you'll take the salad and plates out to the table."

Gabriella nodded, grabbing the plates from where Troy had set them out, "These had better be as good as you're alluding to, I am starving."

Gabriella could hear Troy laugh from within the kitchen as she made her way over to the table, "They will be, trust me." Setting the objects down, Gabriella began moving them to their intended destination.

Was it her? Did he not find her attractive? She didn't feel like that was the case. They had kissed and made out, and she certainly didn't get the impression that he didn't want her. His hands would wander, as would hers, and just when she thought they were getting somewhere, he'd pull back and say they should stop. It confused her, to say the least. He was waiting, Gabriella just couldn't pinpoint what he was waiting for.

Gabriella jumped slightly, sucking in a deep breath as she felt a hand come to rest on the small of her back, her head snapping to the side to find Troy leaning against the table, "Sorry," Gabriella said instinctively, "you scared me."

Troy narrowed his eyes, "What is wrong with you?"

Gabriella's eyebrows shot up, "What?"

"Something's wrong with you," Troy told her, "and it's not just work, so don't tell me it's just work."

Gabriella opened her mouth, her mind swimming with a million fabricated things to tell him, however, the words seemed to fall short on her lips, "It's nothing." She said dismissively, shaking her head and turning back to the utensils she was divvying up.

"It's nothing?" Troy asked skeptically, "Are you sure, because you look like something's bothering you."

Placing the last of the utensils on the table, Gabriella brought her hands to her hips as she sent Troy a look, "Yeah, okay, something's bothering me," she admitted, "I'm going to ask you something and I need you to be completely honest with me."

Troy shrugged, "Okay, what do you want to know?"

"Are you a virgin?" Gabriella asked bluntly, her statement catching Troy off guard as his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"Are you a virgin?" Gabriella repeated, "Are you waiting until marriage to have sex?" Troy seemed utterly baffled at her question and opened his mouth to respond only to have Gabriella cut him off, "I'm not meaning it like a bad thing, it's fine if you are, it's just if you're not waiting until marriage the only other logical reason as to why you keep pushing me away is that you don't find me attractive." Her words were jumbled together as though she was afraid if she didn't get everything out at once, she'd chicken out, "I-I-I don't think you're a virgin. You don't seem like the type with your family and you're looks…"

"Gabriella…" Troy tried to insert.

"It was really nice at first." Gabriella continued, as though she hadn't heard him, "I'm twenty four, you know…when you get to this age, most guys don't really take things slow…they're either looking for marriage or looking for someone to screw, and I…"

"Gabriella!" Troy said more firmly, "What…"

"But every time we reach a certain point," Gabriella cut in, "you either leave or send me away, and I…"

Gabriella was finally silenced as a timer buzzed from within the kitchen, causing her mouth to snap shut as Troy glanced towards the kitchen. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but decided against, turning quickly and disappearing into the kitchen just as the timer sounded once more throughout the apartment. Gabriella released a breath upon his exit, her words suddenly seeming to catch up to her brain.

Oh god…had she really just said that? Had she really just acted that way? What happened to the filter between her brain and mouth? Sure, she'd been stewing, and sure, she was upset, but she wasn't like this. She didn't act like a hormonal teenager who freaked out because her boyfriend wouldn't sleep with her. What the hell was wrong with her?

"Oh shit…" Gabriella mumbled to herself, her eyes frantically searching the dim living room until they landed on her purse resting on Troy's couch. Without thinking, she lunged forward, grabbing her bag before practically sprinting towards the door. She didn't make it far, her hand barely reaching the knob before she felt herself pulled back.

"Gabriella, wait!" Troy pulled her back to face him, "Just wait a second!"

Gabriella shook her head, "No, no, no…I _can't_…"

"I'm not a virgin." Troy answered quickly, "I haven't been a virgin for a really long time. But hey, _hey_…" he said forcefully, gripping tighter to her arms when she attempted to turn away, "It's not that I'm not attracted to you, and I never wanted you to think that. That was _never_ my goal."

"What was your goal?" Gabriella asked, "To confuse the hell out of me?"

"No," Troy practically pleaded, "look, you and I, we grew up in different worlds. I've had a lot of girlfriends, I've been with a lot of girls, but none of them have made me feel like you do. And sex just complicates things, you know? And I didn't want it to ruin what we have going here because I like you, I like you a lot." Troy sighed, releasing his hold on her arms and glancing down, "Sorry, I guess I didn't think you'd jump to those conclusions."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Me neither."

Troy took a step towards her, his arm snaking around her waist, "I am attracted to you, though. Trust me, as noble as my actions may sound, it has been _incredibly_ difficult. Especially considering the way we met."

Gabriella felt a blush creep onto her cheeks, and she made an effort of avoiding his gaze, "I thought you said you didn't see anything."

Troy smiled, "I lied." And then he kissed her. Instantly Gabriella felt her eyes flutter shut as he pulled her tighter to him, his tongue gently probing her lips apart. Gabriella lifted her arms, her hand coming up to cup the back of his head while the other made its way up his back, feeling the lines of his muscles through his shirt. "You have to work tomorrow?" he managed out between kisses.

Gabriella shook her head, her skin tingling with anticipation as she felt Troy's hands make their way beneath the shirt she was wearing, the material beginning to rise and reveal her toned and tanned stomach, "What about dinner?" she asked, although her hands were already clawing at his shirt, Troy separating his lips from her neck they had migrated to long enough for the shirt to be discarded onto the floor, hers soon following suit.

"It'll still be there later." He whispered out before reclaiming her lips and silencing any further discussion between the two.

* * *

The first night together was absolutely crucial in the developmental process of a relationship. The sex was relatively important, it was what got you there, but you could learn so much about a person just from that first night. For example, Gabriella was a kicker, always had been, always will be, and she often judged how the relationship would work based off of how the guy dealt with her kicking. Thomas, her boyfriend from high school, had always just rolled away from her, and Eric, her other serious boyfriend from college, had restrained her legs, preventing her from kicking. They were small details, most likely made unconsciously, however, they showed the kind of relationship that she would have with them. Thomas walked away when things got tough. When college became too much for him, and he couldn't deal with the distance between them, he simply walked away. Eric, on the other hand, liked control. He liked to fit everything in nice and neat boxes and when Gabriella wouldn't mold, they broke up. Troy was different. Unlike Eric or Thomas, Troy didn't try to restrain or roll away, he kicked back, he fought back. Troy was a fighter.

Also, Troy was a slob.

Dodging a mound of clothing inside of the dark bedroom, Gabriella carefully began tiptoeing away from the bathroom and back towards the bed. Albeit, she had obviously sprung the whole sex thing on him, but Gabriella guessed that it had more to do with the fact that Troy was so neat and tidy in almost all other areas of life, she suspected that his bedroom was messy because he needed something to _be_ messy.

Stopping just short of the bed, Gabriella scooped her discarded panties off of the ground, quickly sliding them up her legs. She also learned that Troy snored. Very lightly, and most likely he'd deny it, but he did, in fact, snore, which worked out since Gabriella had been told she mumbled in her sleep. Grabbing Troy's shirt from the ground, she poked her head through the hole, pulling it down over her exposed skin. One thing they differed in was that Troy seemed to be a bit of a loner. He didn't intentionally push her away, but he definitely wasn't a snuggler. Gabriella guessed he either hadn't slept with many girls he was serious with, or the ones he was serious with never stuck around.

Gasping, Gabriella felt a yelp escape from her lips as she felt an arm curl around her waist and pull her backwards. She hit the soft mattress, and felt her face split into a smile as she giggled softly at the head that buried itself into the crook of her neck, "What are you doing?" Gabriella asked as she felt Troy begin to pepper kisses onto her skin.

"Trapping you."

"Trapping me?"

"Yep," Troy quipped, "you were trying to escape, I saw you."

"I wasn't trying to escape," Gabriella argued, "just trying to get warm. Plus, it's a little awkward walking around an apartment that isn't mine, naked."

"Hmm," Troy said with a sigh, "you're cold?"

"A bit."

Gabriella could feel the smirk spread on his lips, "I know the perfect way to warm you up."

Gabriella quirked an eyebrow, turning her body towards him, "Oh really?" Troy nodded, leaning in to kiss her, "And what does this entail? More clothes?"

Troy shook his head, his kisses having moved to her jaw, "Nope, less."

Gabriella could already feel his hands pushing up his t-shirt she had pulled on, "How does that work?"

Troy grinned deviously, pulling back to finish lifting the shirt over her head, "I think it'd be best if I showed you."

* * *

Bacon. That was the first thing that popped into Gabriella's mind when her heavy eyelids finally opened the next morning. Why did she smell bacon?

Sunlight was blanketing the room, despite the curtains best efforts to keep them out, and just as Gabriella managed to open her eyes, she slammed them shut again to prevent the sun from attacking her retinas. Rolling from her side to her back in an attempt to block the sun, Gabriella extended her arm, expecting to come into contact with a warm body, her eyes popping open whey she was met with only blankets and pillows. Still slightly disconcerted, Gabriella clutched the bed sheet to her chest as she sat up, observing the empty bedroom surrounding her. At the end of the bed sat a pile of clothing, male clothing from the looks of it, and beyond the cracked door of the bedroom, Gabriella could hear movement from within the apartment. And bacon. She could still smell bacon.

Pushing aside the covers and quickly dressing in the clothing he had laid out for her, Gabriella cautiously opened the bedroom door, her eyes scanning the apartment until they located her object of interest standing in front of the stove. Gabriella smiled, he was making breakfast. Moving out of the doorway, Gabriella maneuvered her way towards the kitchen, running a hand through her flat curls in an attempt to make her long locks more appealing. "Hey." Gabriella croaked out, her voice slightly hoarse.

Troy turned, and Gabriella could tell from his damp hair that he had already showered. He was also wearing dress pants and a tie, she observed. "Morning." He said with a grin, leaning in to greet her with a kiss as she came to stop next to him, "I hope you like omelets."

Gabriella smiled, "I do." She moved her eyes down to the pan, "Are we sharing one?"

Troy shook his head, "I've seen you eat, I'd never get in the way of you and your food." Gabriella narrowed her eyes at him playfully, "Plus…I need to head into work."

Gabriella felt the smile slip from her face, "I thought you didn't work today?"

"I didn't." Troy confirmed, "And I don't, not really. It's just one meeting." Refocusing on the food, Troy slid the finished omelet onto a plate filled with potatoes and bacon, "I'm thinking it will be an hour to an hour and a half at the most." Setting the pan down into the sink, he turned back to Gabriella, gripping her hips, "Just hang out here, shower, watch TV, whatever. I'll be right back and then we'll plan out what we want to do for the rest of the day, alright?"

Gabriella nodded, the corners of her lips turning upward, "Okay."

"Okay." Troy echoed, "Gotta run. Be right back." He kissed her, lingering longer than he probably should have, before finally pulling back and detaching from her. Gabriella watched him pull on his suit jacket before sliding his phone and keys into his pockets. She grabbed a strip of bacon and took a bite just as he picked up his briefcase, "You look beautiful, by the way."

Gabriella blushed, swallowing her bite of bacon, "Go so you can get back!" she ordered, and Troy sent her a lopsided grin before yanking open the door and disappearing through it. As soon as the door shut, Gabriella shut her eyes, replaying each and every moment from the previous night and that morning in her head, and before she managed to stop herself, a squeal of happiness escaped her lips, a delirious smile resting on her lips.

A smile that matched Troy's as he made his way through the front door of the apartment complex.


	5. It All Started With An Unplanned Meeting

_**When he introduces you as 'my girlfriend':**_

_It's so utterly high school that the title still straightens your spine. But how can it not? You're now officially pinned, picked, branded, wanted._

* * *

**It all started with an unplanned meeting…**

Gabriella was in heaven. There was simply no other word to describe exactly how she felt right now. Not because of the soft sheets and plush mattress that were currently absorbing her tiny frame, nor due to the sweet mixture of aftershave and shampoo that had been growing increasingly familiar over the last month she had been waking up to it. It was instead due to a pair of soft lips currently pressed against the exposed skin of her shoulder in an attempt to rouse her from sleep.

"_Mmm…_" the noise that escaped her lips was supposed to sound like a groan, but as Troy's lips worked their way from her shoulder to her neck, it morphed into a soft moan.

"Wake up…" Gabriella heard whispered into her ear as her eyelids began to flutter. "If you wake up, I'll let you torture me with shopping." Gabriella felt a smile split onto her face, and despite that she couldn't see his face, she could tell his held one as well, "She lives!"

Blinking the world into focus, Gabriella arched her spine as she moved from her side onto her back, staring up at a grinning Troy, "Morning." She yawned out, "What time is it?"

"Only nine," Troy informed her, propping himself up on his elbow, "but usually you wake up before me, it was weird."

Gabriella smiled as she shut her eyes again, "Weird indeed. What did you do with yourself?"

"Watched you sleep." Troy told her simply, "And yes, I realize how creepy that sounds," He continued when Gabriella opened her mouth to speak, "but you're amusing when you sleep."

Gabriella opened her eyes, sending him a look, "What did I say?"

Troy smirked, "I think it was something along the lines of: Troy Bolton is the most amazing man in the world."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Really?" Troy nodded, "Funny that I would lie like that in my sleep."

Troy shook his head, "I don't think it was a lie." Placing one of his hands on the opposite side of her, he leaned down, his face hovering above hers, "I'm still not certain you can lie."

Feeling his lips touch the skin of her neck, Gabriella tilted her head to the side, one of her hands weaving its way through Troy's hair, "I can lie, I'm not perfect."

She felt Troy pull back, his nose grazing hers as his face came to hover above hers, "Closest I've seen."

Gabriella smiled as she felt Troy press a soft kiss to her lips, "Charmer…" she mumbled against his lips, and Troy let out a muffled laugh before reconnecting their lips. "Mmm…" Gabriella moaned out between kisses, not wasting any time in allowing Troy to slide his tongue between her parted lips, "you don't work today, do you?"

"No." Troy quipped, his head dipping down into the crook of her neck, his lips sucking on the tender skin of her neck.

Gabriella felt her eyes roll back into her head as a wave of pleasure rolled over her. God, if she could patent those lips, she'd make millions, "You're not just saying that because you know it's what I want to hear, are you?"

She felt Troy smile against her skin, "Your lack of faith is disheartening."

"Seriously," pushing him back a bit, Gabriella stared up at him, scanning his features, "if you have to work, work. We both have careers, I understand. We can work us in around it."

"I don't work." Troy reiterated, "And is that really what you want? To be worked in around board meetings and conference calls?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "No, of course not, but…"

"Good, me neither." Troy said simply, "Now relax and let's enjoy our day off together." Reaching up, Troy brushed her bangs out of her eyes, "I haven't seen you in a week, and that is far too long in my book."

Feeling a blush creep onto her cheeks, Gabriella glanced to the side, "Please," she said dismissively, "I bet you didn't even notice."

Troy sent her a look, "That's a bet you'd lose." Gabriella let her eyes fall shut as she felt Troy press a lingering kiss to her lips. First one, then another. Gabriella wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her, his hand coming up to snake its way through her long hair as her legs made their way around his waist.

"I'm gonna have to stop this before it becomes too heated."

The pair sprung apart like two teenagers caught making out by the police, Troy practically flinging himself off the bed while Gabriella pulled the sheet up over her exposed chest. "What the hell?" Troy practically roared at the middle aged man, dressed in a suit, and leaning against the door, smirking, "Get out!"

The man tilted his head, "I knocked."

Troy flung his arm out, pointing in the direction of the front door, "GET OUT!" Smiling to himself, the man took a step back into the common area, pulling the door shut with him. Immediately, Troy turned to Gabriella, "Oh my god, I am so sorry."

Gabriella's breathing was still slightly labored as she continued to clutch the sheet to her chest, "I thought you said you didn't work?"

"I don't," Troy said instantly, glancing almost angrily towards the door, "and if I did, it wouldn't involve him." Gabriella was unsure why he sounded so bitter, but she knew that this was neither the place nor the time, "That's my father…"

"I know," Gabriella interjected, "he gave me a recommendation, remember?"

The corners of Troy's lips tugged upwards and he leaned over, grabbing his boxers from the floor, "I'll take care of him," he assured her, leaning in to peck her on the lips, "and then we'll pick up where we left off."

Gabriella smiled, despite her teeth capturing her bottom lip in an attempt to restrain it, "Maybe if you're lucky."

Troy pulled open the door, "Oh trust me, I am." He responded just before stepping through the threshold and closing the door behind him. The smile was gone from his face almost instantly upon spotting his father standing in the living room, "I'm not a little kid anymore, dad."

"I knocked." Jack Bolton defended immediately.

"You cannot just barge in here." Troy continued, "This is not your apartment."

"I called, too." Jack added, "And I needed to get in touch with you, it's important."

Jack's tone was professional, and Troy could see where this was going, "Well whatever it is, it can wait. I'm off today. Lock the door on your way out."

Troy turned to head back towards his bedroom, but Jack stopped him, "Jamie Kincaid is in town…"

"I know." Troy interrupted, "We have a meeting scheduled on Monday."

Jack shook his head, "He's leaving Sunday, this needs to be done today."

"I scheduled this day off for a reason," Troy told his father in a low tone, "I have plans."

"The girl will understand," Jack contradicted quickly, "shower, get dressed; I'll see you at the office in a half hour."

"You can do this meeting without me." Troy reasoned, "You can fill me in tomorrow."

"Troy," Jack started, his tone firm, "you want to blow off a meeting with Jamie Kincaid, an investor who could greatly assist in us broadening our market across the US, for some girl you met in a bar?"

The pair's conversation was interrupted by the door to Troy's bedroom opening to reveal a slightly disheveled Gabriella, dressed in her clothes from the previous night, glancing wearily between the two men, "Um, I gotta go, Troy." She started, "Work stuff."

"No." Troy said, stepping over to her side, and grabbing her elbow to prevent her from fleeing the apartment, "She's not just some girl I met in a bar, dad."

"Sorry," Jack quipped, "but Troy, this is your job."

Troy pursed his lips, sending his father a look, "Dad…"

"Troy, it's fine." Gabriella inserted, "Really."

"See?" Jack asked rhetorically, "She's fine with it."

"Gabriella," Troy corrected, "her name's Gabriella"

"Sorry, Gabriella," Jack conceded, "I was unaware Troy was even seeing anyone." He explained, "But we should have dinner tonight, the three of us. Troy's mother would murder me if she found out I met you and didn't take you out to dinner."

"Uh…" Gabriella glanced over at Troy, receiving a slight nod of confirmation from him that it would be okay. Gabriella knew they liked one another, but as of yet, the pair hadn't gotten around to telling anyone about their relationship. For Gabriella, there hadn't necessarily been a reason as to why she hadn't, but for Troy, there might be. "Sure. Tonight is perfect."

Jack smiled, "Great."

Gabriella returned his smile, "Alright, I'm gonna go." She took a step towards Jack, stretching out her hand, "It was nice to meet you, sir."

Jack shook her hand, "Likewise."

Troy placed his hand on her lower back, moving her in the direction of the door, away from his father, "I'll call you after my meeting." He said in a hushed tone, "I am so sorry about today, I did have plans…"

Reaching the door, Gabriella stopped in front of it, "It's fine, Troy. We have tomorrow."

"And tonight," Troy added, "But be warned. Now that my dad knows you're my girlfriend, he'll get a list of questions from my mother to pepper you with."

Gabriella paused for a moment, her smile widening a bit, "Consider me warned."

Troy picked up on the slight change in her smile, "What?"

Shutting her eyes, Gabriella shook her head, "Nothing."

"What?" Troy repeated, his tone firmer.

Gabriella rolled her eyes, shrugging her shoulders slightly, "You just called me your girlfriend." She pointed out, "You've never done that before."

At first, Gabriella thought he was going to laugh at her, but instead she watched a warm smile grow onto Troy's face, a slight twinkle developing in his eye, "I'll call you after my meeting," he reiterated, "girlfriend."

Gabriella's smile matched his, and inside her chest, she felt her heart flutter at his words, "I'll look forward to it," she returned, "boyfriend."


	6. It All Started With An Invitation

_**The first 'we':**_

_The first time you write "we" in an e-mail to your friends — and they don't write back, "We? Who the heck is we?"_

* * *

**It all started with an invitation…**

"I don't think I like you enough for this."

Troy rolled his eyes as he attempted to suppress the smile tugging at his lips, "Gabi…"

"No." Gabriella interrupted, shaking her head, "No, I definitely do not like you enough for this."

Scooting forward on the leather seat of the limo they were riding in, Troy ran a soothing hand up the bare skin of her back exposed by the sweetheart neckline of her beaded bodice attached to her long black silk gown she had chosen for that evening. "Baby, it's just a party."

Gabriella turned sharply towards Troy, "This is not just a party, this is a Christmas party, and not just any Christmas party, this is _the_ Christmas party. Everyone who is anyone in Boston will be here tonight including, but not limited to, senators, governors, representatives, the mayor, my bosses, and, to top everything off, it is being thrown by your parents."

"They throw it every year," Troy told her, "it is _not_ a big deal."

"It _is_ a big deal." Gabriella contradicted, "It's a huge deal. Not only am I meeting people that are essential in my career advancing, but I'm meeting your _parents_."

Troy shrugged nonchalantly, "It's just my parents. You've already met my dad, and my mom is infinitely easier to get along with than him."

Shaking her head, Gabriella turned her head back to gaze out of the window, returning her hands to fidget with the hem of the slit that ran up her left side, "It is a big deal," she repeated, "you may do this often, but I don't. And trust me, when you meet my mom, it will be a big deal."

Troy sighed, "Look, I'm not saying that. You're right, it is a big deal, but I don't want you freaking out about this." Bringing his hands to her shoulders, Troy gently began kneading her shoulders, his thumbs working out the knots that had formed, "They'll like you, and even if they don't, I don't care because I do." Gabriella let her eyes fall shut as she felt Troy press a kiss into the crook of her neck, "I don't remember if I told you, but you look gorgeous tonight."

Gabriella smiled, feeling her nerves slip away, "You have, but thank you anyways. It's all the dress, though. That's what happens when you wear a $5,000 dress." Troy's kissed had progressed up her neck, and she was fairly certain that he was no longer listening to her, "But it's a loaner, so be careful. You break it, you buy it."

"Break it?" Troy mumbled out, "Why would you think I'd break it?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Sometimes you think with the wrong brain."

Troy chuckled, resting his chin against her shoulder, "Thank you for coming with me. I know you're worried my parents won't like you but I appreciate you accompanying me to this extremely boring party."

Gabriella smiled softly, turning her head towards him, "Well, it's not entirely unselfish reasons," she admitted, "if I didn't come as your plus one, one of your floozy ex-girlfriends that will be in attendance tonight would snatch you up."

Troy rolled his eyes, "I'm sorry about that. I tried to tell my mom, but…"

"No, I get it." Gabriella added quickly, "Their parents are associates, she couldn't not invite them."

"There's really just one I'm worried about," Troy informed her, "and last I heard she was living in California…so hopefully it won't be a problem."

Gabriella sent Troy a look, "Just one? You've only dated _one_ of the daughters of your parents' associates?"

Troy glanced to the side, "Well, only one crazy one. The rest are all fairly normal."

Gabriella lifted her eyebrows, "Fairly normal?"

Troy nodded, "They've all moved onto different boyfriends and husbands. I'm no longer a blip on their radars. In fact, a lot of them you'd probably get along with really well."

Gabriella narrowed her eyes, "Nah, I think I'll pass." Turning her body towards him, Gabriella slid one of her arms around his neck, "You're a blip on my radar."

A smile grew on Troy's features, "Yeah? Well you're a submarine on my radar."

Gabriella's face split into a smile, and her sweet giggle filled the limo. Licking his lips, Troy leaned in, planning on savoring the last few moments of alone time the pair would have all evening, "Don't." Troy paused in his actions, his lips dangerously close to her own, "Don't you dare kiss me and screw up my lipstick, Troy Bolton."

Troy continued to hover his lips above hers, "And what would you do if I did?"

Gabriella narrowed her eyes, "Not kiss you."

"You wouldn't."

"I so would."

Feeling the limo begin to slow, Troy conceded, pulling back while sending her a look, "You win this one, but I make no promises later." Pulling her jacket off of the seat next to him, he held it out for her to pull on, "You look far too gorgeous for me to keep my hands off of you now, let alone after I get a few glasses of champagne in me."

Buttoning her jacket in the front, Gabriella could already feel the butterflies re-gathering in her stomach as she heard the driver slam his door shut, "You're sure your parents know you're bringing me?"

Troy nodded, "Yes."

"And you're sure they want me here?"

"Of course." Troy assured her as the door was pulled open. He was up first, easily stepping out of the limo, holding his hand out to assist Gabriella as her heels touched onto the icy sidewalk. "You have nothing to worry about, my parents will love you."

Looping her arm through his, the pair began making their way towards the elegant ballroom the party was being held in, "If you say so."

"I do say so." Troy said confidently, stepping out of the bitter Boston cold and into the warmth of the hotel lobby. Instantly, Troy was behind her, easing her coat off of her shoulders, "I'll go check your coat." he informed her, holding her black jacket over his arm as he retrieved a white envelope from his coat pocket, "Here's the invitation, head on into the ballroom, I'll meet you in there."

Gabriella took the envelope, and as soon as he detached himself from her side, she found herself face to face with a short redhead who looked far to frazzled to be in this elegant lobby, "Name." she demanded.

Gabriella blinked, "Excuse me?"

"Name," the woman repeated, "I'm assuming you're here for the Bolton party, so I will need your name."

Gabriella glanced over her shoulder, not spotting Troy within sight, "Um…my boyfriend…"

"I don't need your boyfriend's name," the woman cut in, "I need your name. Only those on the list get admitted."

Gabriella held up the invitation, "I'm my boyfriend's plus one."

The redhead snatched the envelope from Gabriella's hands, "There are no plus ones," pulling out the cardstock paper, the woman swiftly read the invite, "you are Gabriella Montez." Gabriella felt the invite thrust back into her hands, "Was that so hard?"

"And Troy Bolton." Troy said sidling up next to her, "You can tell my mother I'm here."

The redhead smiled, "You can tell your mother yourself, she's right inside the doors greeting the guests."

The woman turned, disappearing just as quickly as she had appeared, and Troy stepped forward, placing himself in front of Gabriella to find her staring at the invitation, "Something wrong?"

Gabriella looked up at him, "This invitation's to both of us."

Troy nodded, "I know…that's why we're here."

Gabriella shook her head, "No, the invitation is actually _to_ both of us. I just assumed it was to you and I was just your date, but…" she lowered her eyes back to the invite, "…'To Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez'."

Troy gave her a sly smile, "My mom called twice to make sure she had the spelling right on your name," he explained, "she didn't want to offend you and risk you not coming." Gabriella lifted her gaze back up to him, "I told you you have nothing to worry about. She's been _dying_ to meet you. Apparently you had quite the affect on my father." Gabriella looked down, and Troy narrowed his eyes at the unreadable expression on her face, "It is alright that it was to us, right?"

Glancing up momentarily, Gabriella nodded, "Um…yeah, it is. It's just…"

"It's just…"

"We were invited to a party," Gabriella started, "_we_ were invited to a party. Your parents think of us as a 'we'. That's pretty big, you know?"

Troy nodded, "I do know."

Gabriella paused for a moment, studying the expression on Troy's features. He was confident. He knew what this was, he knew what it meant, and he was confident about it. Gabriella pursed her lips, attempting to restrain the smile that wanted to form, "As long as you know."

"I do know," Troy repeated, "so if you're trying to scare me off this way, it's not going to work."

Gabriella sent him a look, "I'm not trying to scare you off any way, I just…" she released a breath that sounded like a mixture between a sigh and a laugh, "Never mind."

Troy lifted his eyebrows, "Never mind?"

Gabriella nodded, "Never mind." Looping her arm through his, Gabriella took her place at his side, "Let's get this show on the road."

Troy began leading her to the set of double doors other couples had been filing through, "I've actually never brought an official date to this party before…" he released a breath as they paused behind a couple waiting to make their way in, "…its weird."

Gabriella's turned her head towards him, "A good weird or a bad weird?"

The couple in front of them moved into the ballroom as Troy moved his gaze down onto the beautiful brunette on his arm, "Definitely a good weird."


	7. It All Started With London

**A/N:** This chapter's dedicated to all those at the fanfic threads I frequent. Life's been tough lately, but somehow you guys always know the perfect things to say. Thanks, you guys are the best.

Also, to **Kelly **(runninequalslife): _**Happy Birthday! **_(And yes, I will still need to see some sort of ID for that 'chocolate milk')

* * *

_**The first 'I love you':**_

_Jessica Simpson seems content to proclaim her love through national magazines. For the rest of us, though, the moment is fraught with anxiety: What if he stares at us blankly? What if we're saying it too soon, and ... Sorry, what was that? You do? Oh, thank God._

* * *

**It all started with London…**

"_I cannot believe they are threatening to do this again, it's just absolutely ridiculous."_

"Mmhmm."

"_It would've made sense when I was younger and wasn't next in line to be partner."_

"Yep."

"_This is all Jamie's doing. That man has been trying to get me out of the way so that he can have partner for months now."_

Perched on top of her bed, Gabriella paused in the painting of her toenails to roll her eyes at her mother's comment. She loved her mom, they were and would most likely always be one another's best friends, but she had been complaining about her work for the past hour in which the pair had been on the phone, and Gabriella was about five minutes away from just hanging up on her. "Sure."

Maria sighed, _"Sometimes life would be so much easier if I could just retire."_

"You can retire," Gabriella inserted, blowing onto her toenail as she capped her nail polish, "you _won't_ retire. Big difference."

"_No, I can't retire."_ Maria reiterated, _"But once I make partner, I'll retire."_

Gabriella's eyebrows shot up as she fell back onto her pillows, "You'll retire?"

"_Well, not immediately."_ Maria explained, _"I'll become partner, hang around for a few years, and retire in time for my first grandchild."_

Gabriella groaned, "Oh mother…"

"_Speaking of grandchildren,"_ Maria continued, ignoring Gabriella, _"where is Troy and why are you discussing retirement with me on a Saturday night when you could be out with your boyfriend?"_

"Troy's in London," Gabriella said with a sigh, "he and his dad are finalizing the purchase of some hotel there."

"_He's not moving there, is he?"_

Gabriella shook her head, despite that her mother couldn't see her, "Not that he's told me."

"_Good, long distance relationships are difficult and I can see how much you love Troy, I wouldn't want you to have to go through that."_

Gabriella felt her insides lurch at her mother's words as her heart began to beat rapidly beneath her chest. Her throat almost immediately dried up, and Gabriella hoped her mother didn't expect an immediate response to her comment as she felt her voice fall dead on her lips. Love. One simple word. One simple word that had been causing Gabriella to fight an internal battle between her head and her heart since seven days earlier when Troy had left for London.

"_Gabriella?" _Maria's concerned voice floated over the line, _"Are you still there?"_

Why did things have to turn this way? He was happy, she was happy, and they had found a healthy balance between their workaholic tendencies and each other. Why, oh why, did things have to change?

Better question, why did _she_ have to change them?

Why had she chosen to accompany him to the airport for a trip that was shorter than most of his trips to New York? Why had she chosen to keep him in the car for longer than usual, enjoying the feel of his lips on hers? This trip wasn't supposed to be for that long, and Gabriella wasn't the type of girlfriend who cried every time he left her (half of the time she forgot he was leaving until he called her from his destination), but this one had seemed harder. At the time, she had chalked it up to the fact that it was an international trip and being nervous for Troy and the sealing of this deal. However, when he had pulled back, whispering his final goodbye to her, and Gabriella felt herself locked in his gaze, the realization had dawned on her. She wasn't going to miss him because he would be a further distance away than normal. Nor would she miss him because she was worried this deal might fall through. Gabriella would miss him because she loved him.

"_Gabriella!" _

The bad part hadn't been the realization. Although it had blind sighted her, realizing she was in love with a funny, charming, good looking guy who has his head on straight and appeared to be into her as much as she was into him is not a bad thing. However, telling him, seconds after she realize exactly why her heart fluttered every time he smiled at her, was.

Gabriella had never told a guy that she loved him before. She had been told by her previous boyfriends that they were in love with her, but every time she went to respond, she hadn't been able to let herself say it. It had led to the demise of those relationships, but Gabriella was never worried. When the time was right, and when the guy was right, she'd be able to say it. And at that moment, sitting in the car with Troy, everything had been right for Gabriella.

Apparently not for Troy.

At first he had just remained quiet, staring at her, and for a minute, Gabriella had thought he hadn't heard her. But he had heard her, and as the silence descended around them, Gabriella felt her stomach sink. Never, in the millions of scenarios she had invented in her head of all the ways she would tell a guy she loved him, had he said nothing. She had panicked, and immediately her mind had gone to damage control mode. She couldn't lose Troy, and obviously it was too soon for him. However, just before she went to tell him she was joking or some other lame cover up, a knock had come at the door and the driver had announced that he only had twenty minutes until Troy's flight took off. Gabriella had never seen anyone get out of a car as quickly as Troy detached himself from her, and without a goodbye or even a glance backwards, Troy had shut the door behind him before disappearing into the crowds of the airport.

That had been a week ago. And in the time since, the only form of communication she had received from Troy had been a text message from him to tell her that he landed safely. Obviously he was busy and his world didn't revolve around her. He had a job. He had clients. And the silence would be much easier to take if she could convince herself that those were the reasons behind it.

"_GABRIELLA!"_

"Yes, mom." Gabriella finally responded, "I'm here, sorry."

"_Where did you go?"_

"Nowhere." Gabriella answered dismissively, "I'm just tired."

"_Is everything alright between you and Troy?"_ Maria asked, the concern evident in her tone.

Gabriella sighed, "Yeah, I just…miss him."

"_I understand. I always hated when your father had to travel, even if it was just for a couple of days, it always felt like centuries."_

Gabriella continued to stare at the ceiling. Centuries didn't even begin to cover it. Shutting her eyes, Gabriella picked up her phone from next to her, "Okay mom, I'm gonna go," she started, "I'm tired and I have an early morning tomorrow."

"_Okay, sweetie, have a good night."_ Ending the phone call, Gabriella set the phone on the nightstand next to her bed.

Troy was such an integral part of her life in Boston. Not only was he singlehandedly responsible for her receiving the job she had, but he was an important part in the life she had built. Most of the people she had met in Boston were people she had met through Troy. Most of the places she now frequented were as a direct result of Troy introducing her to them. He had helped her decorate her apartment. The brochures she had been looking at for the purchase of her first car had been provided by Troy. He had intertwined himself into her life, and if they were over…

If they were over…

Turning onto her side, Gabriella grabbed the pillow Troy usually slept on and hugged it tightly against her chest, inhaling his perfect scent while her silent tears soaked into the pillow case.

If they were over…Gabriella wasn't really sure she could have a life in Boston anymore.

* * *

Gabriella awoke with a start.

Gasping for air, Gabriella's now wide awake eyes rapidly began searching her almost black bedroom for the source of her waking. The cold air howled outside as it passed by her windows, and Gabriella felt a cold shiver run up her spine from not only the eeriness of the situation with which she woke up in, but also from the chill of the air that surrounded her. Releasing a shaky breath, Gabriella turned her head to the side, looking for the source of the goosebumps forming on her skin to find it fueled by her open bedroom window.

Throwing back the covers, Gabriella propelled herself towards the window, her outstretched arms gripping tightly to the ledge and slamming it shut, preventing any further snow from entering her room. Gabriella stood for a moment, staring out into the dark night as snow continued to blanket Boston. Gabriella hadn't opened her window. What in the world…

"Sorry, I thought I closed it."

Jolting in surprise, Gabriella spun around, her back crashing into the wall as her hand came up to cover her heart. She would've screamed, having sucked in a deep breath, Gabriella was prepared to scream bloody murder in hopes of preventing whatever it was the stranger in her bed had planned. However, just before the scream departed from her lips, the dim moonlight managing to filter through the clouds and into her bedroom reflected off of the figure as he sat up from his position in bed.

Gabriella sighed in relief, "Troy," she scolded in a hushed tone, "what the hell?"

"Sorry," Troy replied sheepishly, lifting his hand to rub the back of his neck nervously, "I didn't mean to scare you."

"What are you doing here?" Gabriella questioned, glad that the darkness could hide her inability to hold eye contact with him, "When did you get back from London?"

"Couple of hours ago."

Gabriella's eyebrows shot up, "You flew home in this?"

Troy shook his head, "It's gotten dramatically worse in the past hour. It was barely snowing when I got in." Gabriella nodded her head, but remained quiet, "I was gonna go home, but I came here instead."

Gabriella nodded, crossing her arms over her chest, "How'd you get in?"

"I climbed in through the window," Troy said, glancing at the window she had just closed, "I didn't want to wake you by ringing the doorbell, and I don't have a key…because we're not at that point in our relationship yet, so…" Gabriella looked down, that sinking feeling in her stomach reappearing, "And we need to talk."

Gabriella immediately started shaking her head, "No, let's not talk."

"Gabriella…"

"We'll talk in the morning." Gabriella told him, walking over to the bed, "Right now it's cold, late, and I'm tired." Crawling into her side, Gabriella laid down on her side, facing Troy, "We'll talk in the morning." She repeated, pulling the covers over her shoulders as she rested her head against her pillow.

Troy swallowed, watching her settle into her position, noting that she had purposely positioned herself as far from him as she could manage, "You promise?"

Gabriella nodded, her eyes already shut, "I do."

Pursing his lips, Troy slipped back down on the mattress, continuing to watch her as she either instantly fell asleep, or pretended to fall asleep, "I missed you." He whispered out.

Gabriella smiled, "I missed you too."

"I'm sorry I didn't call."

"It's fine," Gabriella dismissed, "you were busy, we'll talk about it in the morning."

Troy studied her for a moment, trying to decipher her nonchalant mood. He had expected to come home to yelling, to anger…not to this, "You're not mad at me?"

"Nope, not mad."

"Even if I…"

"Even if you just came from a 20 girl orgy," Gabriella interrupted, "right now I'm cold, tired, and I don't know about it, so no…I'm not mad at you."

Troy felt the corners of his lips tug upward and he scooted over on the mattress while yanking up her duvet comforter to ensure that it was surrounding her, "I'm sorry I opened the window."

Gabriella grunted, "I'll be sending you a bill when my utility bill comes."

Troy released a quiet laugh as he collected her into his arms, pulling her up against him, "And no massive orgy."

"There better not be." Troy pressed a kiss to the top of Gabriella's head as she snuggled into him, "I'm glad you made it home safe."

Troy didn't move from his position, inhaling her sweet scent and letting run through him, "I'm glad I made it home safe too." Pressing another firm kiss to her scalp, Troy let his eyes fall shut, savoring the warmth of her body against his. He hadn't truly realized how accustomed he was to having her next to him at night until she wasn't there anymore. It didn't matter that he often times took trips to New York for a week at a time, this trip was different. And it was only different for one reason. Troy opened his eyes, "Gabriella?"

"Hmm?" he heard Gabriella mumble out, obviously well on her way to falling asleep. He would have to do this quick, before she fell asleep and he lost his nerve.

Troy inhaled deeply, once again taking in her scent, "Baby…" he began softly, his words slightly muffled by her hair, "I love you too."

Gabriella's eyes snapped open, and her entire body became rigid. Had he…? Did he just…? Did he say…?

Pulling back, Gabriella tilted her head upwards, looking up at him in the darkness, "W-What?"

Troy smiled and Gabriella felt him brush her hair away from her eyes, "I know I left you in the car…and I know I didn't call for a week…and I know that made you think I didn't feel the same thing for you that you did for me, but I do." His grin turned sheepish, "Apparently I just needed a few days of panicking in London to figure that out."

Gabriella's eyebrows shot up, "Panicking? I-I don't want you panicking. If you're not ready, I don't want you to feel like you have to…"

"I don't." Troy said simply, cutting Gabriella off, "I just…" he trailed off, searching for the right words, "You frighten me, Gabriella. What I feel for you frightens me. While I was away I realized it was no longer a matter of just wanting to be with you but instead a matter of needing to be with you. That scares me…this…scares me. I've never had this with anyone before." Lifting her hand, Gabriella placed it comfortingly on his cheek. He reached up and intertwined their fingers. "I love you, Gabriella. I didn't realize until you stopped talking to me. These past seven days have been awful."

Gabriella smiled, "Troy, _you_ didn't call _me_."

"Yeah, because I thought you were mad at me." Troy lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it, "Promise me, even if you're mad, you won't give me the silent treatment. I don't think I can take it."

Rolling her eyes, Gabriella nodded her head, "Fine," she relented, "but only because I love you." Troy's smile grew and before she knew it, she felt his face pressed up against hers, his lips attacking her own. Reveling in the feeling, Gabriella wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, any thoughts of sleep slipped away from her mind replaced with far less innocent ones.

Eventually Troy pulled back, his breathing slightly labored, and rested his forehead against hers. He opened his eyes, gazing down at Gabriella as a slow smile grew onto his face, "Say it again."


	8. It All Started With A Bathtub

_**The first time you get control of his car/remote/iPod:**_

_Seriously, you don't know how hard it is for him to hand over something he worships so much. Not as much as he worships you, of course, but close. Scary close._

* * *

**It All Started With a Bathtub…**

"How was work?"

Gabriella smiled, keeping her eyes shut as she enjoyed the warm feeling around her, "You don't care how work was."

"I do," Troy protested, and Gabriella felt her eyes flutter as Troy's lips descended down the length of her neck, "I really do."

Rolling her eyes, Gabriella slid her arm down into the hot bathwater filling the Jacuzzi style tub inside of her apartment, slowly dragging her fingers down the length of Troy's thigh, "Then I don't think I'm having the desired effect on you."

Releasing a laugh, Troy dropped his nose down into the corner of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent as he intertwined his hand with hers beneath the surface of the water, "I feel that parts of me would disagree with that statement."

Using her free hand, Gabriella shoved her backside closer to Troy's front, causing his strong physique to make contact with the side of the tub and eliminating any space between them, "Yes," Gabriella started with a smirk, "I feel that, too."

She heard him groan into her skin, but she knew he wouldn't give up, "Talk to me."

"I am talking to you."

He pulled back and she could feel Troy's eyes burning holes into the back of her head, "Gabriella…"

"Work was fine." Gabriella relented, "Work is _always_ fine. The people are the same and the cases are the same."

Troy lifted his eyebrows, "No change?"

Gabriella shook her head, "No change."

"You promise?"

Gabriella sucked in a deep breath, feeling a crisis of conscience as her brain battled with her heart. Of course there had been changes in the case, and Troy had known from the second he had arrived in his apartment to find her preparing a romantic dinner for the two of them. She didn't want to lie, but she didn't want to talk about work either. She sighed, "Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes there were some changes to the case." Gabriella confirmed, "And no, I don't want to talk about it."

Troy rested his chin on the curve of her neck, "Good or bad changes."

"Bad."

"Hmm…" Troy mused, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck, "I want you to tell me if there are any changes."

"Why?" Gabriella asked, rolling her eyes, "So I can show exactly how terrible of a lawyer I am?"

Troy pulled back, sending Gabriella a look, "What?" he asked rhetorically, "This doesn't make you a bad lawyer."

Gabriella nodded, "Yes it does." She protested, "Everyone can compartmentalize with this case…except me."

Troy shook his head, "That doesn't make me a bad lawyer."

Gabriella turned her head, "Yes it does. As a lawyer I have to be able to push aside my own feelings, I _cannot_ get caught up in every case."

"This is different…"

"This is not different." Gabriella said, cutting Troy off and turning her head back to face the front, "And I still don't want to talk about it. I came here to spend a relaxing evening with my boyfriend away from all the insanity that is our lives."

Troy pursed his lips. His mother was a lawyer, he knew what it could do to a person if they kept their feelings bottled up inside. He sighed, "My mom's a lawyer, I know what it's like to get lost in a case." He ran his finger down her cheek, drawing her attention back to him, "_Talk_ to me."

Gabriella looked down. He didn't want details on the case, she had already informed him of the basic details, and for all intensive purposes, those details hadn't changed. This was still a high profile divorce case, there were still two children involved, and the husband still beat his wife.

"I overheard one of my associates talking about me," Gabriella started off softly, "I guess he saw how the case was effecting me and called me a little princess…led a sheltered life…and that I could never handle being a lawyer." She shook her head slightly, as if trying to shake away the bad thoughts, "My parents were always happy, I rarely remember them ever arguing. And I've dated some aggressive guys, but I've never been beaten."

"You should've seen her face." Gabriella said with a sigh, "The first day she came to us…bruised and broken…I don't think I've ever seen anyone so lost before…and her kids, they looked so scared. They're still scared…and he will get away with this." Her tone was much more vicious, "Just because he's rich and looks good on the stand…he will get away with this. And yes, that _bothers_ me. I don't get why it doesn't bother everyone else."

"It does," Troy answered immediately, "they're just too afraid to show it. _You're_ not afraid. You're not afraid to feel that emotion and let it drive you to put him away for the rest of his life."

Gabriella shook her head, "He won't go to jail. We'll be lucky if we can get her full custody."

"But you'll still try," Troy pointed out, "and that try will result in a black mark on his record that will follow him always…and that's because of lawyer like you. Not them, you."

Gabriella smiled softly as Troy placed a kiss on her temple, "You're far too charming, you know?"

Troy nodded, "Yes, I do. But you love it."

"I love you." Gabriella responded, leaning in a pressing a short, chaste kiss against his lips. She lingered for a moment, and Troy took advantage, deepening the kiss, his hand cupping the back of her head as she parted her lips to allow his tongue to duel with her own. The separated after a moment, inhaling some much needed oxygen, and Gabriella smiled when Troy's lips moved down to the side of her neck. "I wish I could forget," she murmured, her finger threading through his chestnut locks, "but we have to have people stay with her just to ensure that she's safe from him."

Troy pulled back, "Well…"

The silence of the bathroom was interrupted as the sound of Gabriella's phone ringing entered the atmosphere. Instantly, Gabriella sat up a little straighter, her eyes widening as they focused on the phone sitting next to Troy's beside the tub. It was late. The only person who called her this late was sitting next to her. Which meant something was wrong.

Snatching her phone, Gabriella instantly had it to her ear. "Gabriella Montez." She answered professionally. Troy watched her blink rapidly as the person on the opposite end of the line spoke quickly. "He what?" Troy could tell that she was angry, but it was apparent that she was restraining her voice, "Where was Marshall?" the response was quick, "Are they alright?" Gabriella instantly began nodding her head, as though the person on the phone could see her, "Yes sir, I'll be there as soon as I can."

Troy watched as she lowered the phone, ending the call, "Is everything alright?"

Gabriella shook her head, looking up at him, "Her husband tried to break into her house." She told him somberly, obviously referring to the couple from the court case, "She's fine and he's been arrested, but my boss wants me there."

Troy nodded as she pushed up out of the water, grabbing her towel from the rack, "Absolutely, go."

She secured the towel and sent him a look of remorse, "I'm sorry…I know evenings are the only time we seem to ever get to spend together…"

Troy shook his head, "No, babe…don't even worry about it. A scared woman and her children need you…go. In fact," Troy leaned over, grabbing his pants off of the ground and retrieving his keys from his pocket, "take my car."

Gabriella's eyes widened as he held out the keys to her, "What?"

"I don't want you taking a cab this late at night," Troy explained, "and it's not like I'm going to need it for the next few hours, so take it."

He tossed the keys and she caught them, still looking unsure, "I don't know…"

"I do." Troy protested, "You're my girlfriend, I trust you, now _go_!"

Gabriella let a slow smile creep onto her features as she leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to his lips, "This is bigger step then you realize. Boys never part with their cars."

"They do for the right girl." He pecked her on the lips once more before pulling back, "GO!"

"Okay…okay…" Gabriella relented, straightening up and heading towards the bedroom to change, "I love you." She tossed over her shoulder, accompanied with a small smile.

Troy caught it, let it spread over him, and smiled as she disappeared from view, "I love you, too."


	9. It All Started With Olive Oil

_**The first grocery-shopping trip together:**_

_You know how his lips taste after a workout and a cold beer. You know to give him five minutes alone when he shakes his head in a "work sucked" kind of way. But to watch this man slip a family-size Fruit Loops into the basket with a dopey grin on his face — that's when you realize you still have worlds to learn about each other._

* * *

**It All Started With Olive Oil…**

"This would be so much easier if you just made a list."

Troy ignored his girlfriend's condescending tone as he narrowed his eyes at the various types of oil in front of him. He didn't need a list, he could remember everything he needed perfectly: eggs, milk, baking potatoes, steaks (strip if he could persuade Gabriella, ribeye otherwise), shrimp, oil, breakfast cereal, and razors. Not that long of a list, and not that hard to remember. Except the oil.

He was trying desperately to remember the bottle he had thrown away yesterday. Was it clear? Was it green? Was it square? Was it circular? He remembered it was big, and that he had to place it on the top shelf due to its height, but beyond that it was just…oil. Looking at the various brands and types sitting on the shelf in front of him, Troy was only getting more and more confused as to which one was the oil he used. None of these bottles looked like the one he had thrown away.

Gabriella snorted behind him.

"You know you're not helping." Troy snapped at her, "I'm fairly certain the company I buy oil from went out of business and you're laughing at me."

Sidling up next to him, Gabriella attempted to restrain her smile, "And what company would that be?"

Troy rolled his eyes, slumping his shoulders in defeat, "Fine, I don't remember. I forgot to look at the bottle prior to throwing it away, are you happy?"

"Extremely," Gabriella said with a smile, "what kind of oil was it?"

Turning his head towards her, he sent her a look, "Kind?"

Gabriella nodded, "Yes, kind. Olive? Vegetable? Canola? Peanut?"

Troy narrowed his eyes, "Wouldn't olive and peanut fall into the vegetable category?"

Ignoring him, Gabriella grabbed two bottles from the shelf, "Olive oil is supposed to be better for you, so which do you want," she held up the two bottles, "virgin or extra virgin?"

Troy lifted his eyebrows, "Excuse me?"

Rolling her eyes, Gabriella tossed one of the bottles into the cart, "It references the acidity of the oil. The lower, the better."

Troy studied the bottle of extra-virgin olive oil in the cart, "But what if I like my oil to be a bit of a whore?"

Taking position behind the cart, Gabriella began advancing down the aisle, "You don't."

Falling into step next to her, Troy furrowed his brow, "Oh, are we already at that point in our relationship where you tell me what I want?"

Pausing briefly to grab a jar of peanut butter, Gabriella nodded, "Yep."

Gabriella went to start moving again but Troy stopped her, wrapping his arms around her torso and pinning her arms to her side, "Oh really?"

Gabriella nodded again, "Really."

Troy felt a grin tug at his lips as he watched her smile innocently, neither struggling to be released or asking for him to let her go. "So I've been thinking…"

"Uh oh…"

"You're case is going to wrap up soon…" he continued, ignoring her, "…and this deal I've been working on is almost finalized…" Gabriella lifted her eyebrows, as if to prompt him further, "…so I been thinking…what do you say you and I take a trip?"

Gabriella blinked, "A trip?"

Troy nodded, "Yeah, a trip." He confirmed, "My parents have a cabin in Colorado…or a beach house in Hawaii, we could use either…"

Gabriella blinked, studying his face intently, "What makes you think I wanna take a trip with you?"

Troy shrugged, his nose nuzzling hers, "Call it a hunch." Troy caught Gabriella's face splitting into a grin just before his lips met hers, their kiss muffling her giggles.

"Troy…" Gabriella giggled out, pushing on his chest lightly, her lips involuntarily responding to his, "We're in the middle of a grocery store."

"So?"

Gabriella pushed a little harder on his chest, this time successfully separating, "There are people watching us…"

Troy rolled his eyes, "I'm sure they're just gawking at how cute and adorable we are."

Shaking her head, Gabriella sent him a look, "No."

Contemplating asking the people that were watching them, Troy glanced over his shoulder, doing a double take upon recognizing one of the two females at the opposite end of the aisle. His head snapped back to the front, "Oh my god."

Gabriella's brow furrowed, "What? What's wrong?"

Troy locked eyes with her, his gaze intense and panicked, "I am so sorry."

"Troy?"

Gabriella's gaze shifted from Troy to the petite blonde approaching them. Gabriella didn't know her, but something about her seemed extremely familiar. With her sparkling blue eyes, straight shoulder length hair, and dazzling white smile, she looked like a model, someone who should be in fashion magazines or walking on a runway wearing some exotic fashion designer, definitely not in Boston on a Friday night grocery shopping.

"Jackie." Troy said shortly, drawing Gabriella's attention by his forced tone.

The blonde's smile didn't waver, "I didn't know you were in Boston."

Troy gave her a sarcastic smile, "I didn't know you knew there were places outside of New York and LA."

Jackie's smile widened, "Oh Troy, never change." She started in a condescending tone, her eyes wandering for a moment over to Gabriella, fully taking in the messy bun, jeans, and simple button up she was wearing, "I'm in town visiting a friend."

Troy lifted his eyebrows, "And you decided to pop into the grocery store in heels?"

Jackie nodded, "Always look your best." Her eyes moved over to Gabriella, "I'd assume by Troy's attempt to not introduce us, you would be his new girlfriend?"

She stuck out her hand and Gabriella shook it, offering her a smile and a nod, "Gabriella Montez."

"Nice to meet you, Gabriella Montez." Jackie responded, "I'm Jackie Gray, Troy's old girlfriend."

"Oh," Gabriella said, glancing up at a nervous Troy, "the one that moved to LA, right?"

"Yep." Troy said with a nod, "How's Carl?"

This time her smile did falter a bit, "Carl's fine."

Gabriella glanced between the two, "Who's Carl?"

"The record producer Jackie slept with while we were dating." Troy answered bluntly, his eyes locked with Jackie's.

The blonde gave a small laugh, "That's not exactly how it happened…"

"It doesn't matter how it happened." Troy cut in, "She didn't ask how it happened, she asked who he was, and that's who he is."

Jackie pursed her lips, obviously not pleased, "Fine." She said shortly, her eyes refocusing on Gabriella, "I had heard Troy had a new girlfriend…you're a lawyer, right?"

Gabriella nodded, "Yep."

"That's right," Jackie started, "I remember now, Jack got you the job."

She meant the comment as an insult, that much was evident from her tone, but Gabriella simply smiled, "Actually," she began, her eyes turning to Troy, "Troy got me the job."

Troy smiled at the memory, but instantly shook his head, "No, I didn't. She's mistaken."

"No I'm not," Gabriella contradicted, "you see…Troy and I were double booked in the same hotel room and he walked in on me in the shower."

"That is true," Troy said with a nod, "but I still did not get her the job."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Oh, I suppose your father, whom I did not know, just happened to call and give me a recommendation to the man I told you I was interviewing with?"

Troy smirked, "I guess so."

As if to prove how much she didn't believe him, Gabriella rolled her eyes again, refocusing on Jackie, "One day I'll get him to admit it."

Troy shook his head, "Not likely." Tearing his eyes from Jackie, who had been watching him the entire interaction, he lowered his voice, "We should go, we have that _thing_ to get to."

There was no thing to get to, in fact, Troy and Gabriella hadn't made any plans for the day, but it was blatantly obvious that Troy didn't want to be there, so Gabriella nodded, sending Jackie a smile as Troy took off down the aisle with the cart, "It was nice meeting you." Gabriella said politely.

Jackie nodded, "Tell Troy I'll call him."

Gabriella's eyebrows shot up as Jackie turned and strutted back over towards her awaiting friend. Had she really just said that?

After standing in her spot for another moment, watching Jackie and her friend disappear, Gabriella walked in the direction Troy had gone, finding him two aisles over in front of the cereal. She sent him a sarcastic smile, "Jackie says she'll call."

Troy shook his head, grabbing some strawberry Pop Tarts and tossing them into the cart, "I'm sure she did…but she won't call. Girls like her don't call."

Gabriella watched him for a moment as he glanced at the different boxes of cereal, "She really did a number on you, didn't she?"

Troy glanced over at her for a moment before lowering his eyes to the ground, "Yes and no." he answered honestly, "It's not as if I still have a thing for her, I _don't_." he stated firmly, "But she was the first person who'd ever cheated on me, you know?"

Gabriella shook her head, "No, I've never been cheated on."

Troy felt the corners of his mouth tug upward at her admission, "That's because people don't cheat on perfect people."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "I'm definitely not perfect."

Troy took a step towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist, "Closest I've seen."

Gabriella felt a blush creep onto her cheeks as she diverted her gaze, "Smooth talker."

Troy smiled, keeping his arms tightly around her, "I try." She moved her eyes back up to meet his, "And it sucks…having someone cheat on you." He clarified, "It's not something you just get over, and every time I see her, it makes the anger resurface. However," he continued, when he saw Gabriella open her mouth, "every time the anger resurfaces, I realize it's just that…anger. Not pain…not heartache…just anger. And as much as I hate her for what she did to me, if she hadn't, we wouldn't have ended things, I'd never have come to Boston, and I'd…"

"…never have walked in on me in the shower." Gabriella finished with a smile.

Troy laughed, "Yes, I'd have never walked in on you in the shower." Troy leaned in to kiss her, both pairs of eyes falling shut as their lips met in a soft lingering kiss. He, primarily his lips, had a way of making her forget, and as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer, she could almost forget that they were in the middle of a grocery store with bystanders giving them funny looks and a gallon of milk spoiling in their cart. Almost.

Separating for air, Gabriella kept her eyes shut as she kept her lips millimeters away from his, "If you're trying to distract me from that box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in our cart," she started, letting her eyes flutter open, "it's not going to work."

Troy kissed her once again, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really?"

"Really."

Pulling back, but remaining with their arms wrapped around each other, Troy started swaying, as if they were dancing underneath the fluorescent lighting of the supermarket. "So how about that trip?"

Gabriella sighed, "I supposed I can pencil you in." Troy grinned, "I have always wanted to go to Hawaii."

"Perfect," Troy started, "I always wanted to go to Hawaii with you."

Gabriella's giggle echoed down the aisle for a moment before Troy silenced it with a kiss.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys, I hope you liked this chapter. I know I've been absent for a long while, and I appreciate you guys for sticking with me. I'm in my final semester of my degree and I've also had some personal stuff I've been dealing with, so I thank you guys for your patience because you really are wonderful, and I can assure you I have not given up on my stories and are writing daily. Thanks guys!


	10. It All Started With Text Messages

**A/N:** Hey guys, sorry for the long wait between updates, the past few months have been kinda crazy with college and stuff, but now its SUMMER, so yay! Thanks so much for your patience, and hopefully the updates will be much more common now. I wanna take a second to pimp a story that I am co-writing with the fantabulous **Unproper Grammar **with fire and ice and SUPERHEROES! its called "The Tragic Result of a Double Life" and its under our penname LadyDandSuperK!

Thanks for being the most amazing readers a person could ask for!

* * *

_**The first time you realize you're no longer primping for him:**_

_Whoops! You're sitting on the couch in your baggiest sweats and rattiest T-shirt. Yet he's looking at you more lovingly than when you're all gussied up. Clearly, my dear, this is the real deal._

* * *

He should've seen this coming. He dated the damn girl for over a year, he knew what she was capable of. The second she recognized him in that grocery store, he should've turned and ran the other direction. She had been this way during their relationship, why would he assume that afterwards she'd be any different?

Tapping his foot impatiently on the carpet Troy attempted to focus on the young and eager decorator that was showing him different templates for a hotel they were having remodeled. He was trying to pay attention, he really was, but not only had the girl already shown him six swatches of the same color, swearing they were different, but his phone kept buzzing from text messages. So far that day, Troy had received a total of fourteen text messages. Four had been the back and forth between himself and Gabriella this morning, exchanging the usual 'good morning' and 'I love you' since they hadn't been able to spend the night together due to Gabriella working late. The other ten were from Jackie.

He should've seen this coming.

_Hi Troy._

_Call me, Troy._

_Why won't you answer my text, Troy?_

_I WILL NOT BE IGNORED, DAN!_

Okay, perhaps that last one was from _Fatal Attraction_, but that was totally where this thing was heading. For as long as he had known Jackie, she had always been a girl who got what she wanted, and while Troy could at times be rather full of himself, he was pretty sure he was in no way exaggerating when he stated that she wanted him back.

The red-headed decorator paused in her spiel, staring at Troy expectantly. Troy lifted his eyebrows, sending the girl an encouraging smile, "Looks wonderful." He told her, his eyes glancing over the plans to ensure there were no antlers or crocheted duvets.

She smiled, "Really? I wasn't so sure about…"

"It looks wonderful." Troy affirmed, cutting her off and standing up, "Send all approvals to my assistant, but as far as I'm concerned, those designs are perfect."

Troy's phone buzzed once again in his pocket and he pulled it out as the girl stuck out her hand to shake his. "So nice to meet you, Mr. Bolton."

Troy nodded as he saw another text message from Jackie, "Yes, wonderful." He said curtly, briefly shaking her hand before turning and making his way from the conference room to his office. He shut the text, not even bothering to read the message, and shoved the slim device back into his pocket. He didn't know what to do about this. He couldn't ignore the calls and texts forever, he didn't want to have to change his number, so what could he do?

Rounding the corner, he suddenly found his assistant, Claire, at his side, "Terry Koenig called," she started without prompt, matching his pace as they neared his office, "he took issue with one of the phrases in the contract…"

Troy rolled his eyes, "Of course he did."

Claire smiled, "…and he wanted you to call him back immediately." Troy checked his watch, it was 5:26 in the evening, that wasn't happening. "Your father called, said you were supposed to call him and update him on the Koenig account." Shit, he was supposed to do that. "I filled him in," Claire continued, "and he told me to tell you, quote, your parents, not just your girlfriend, like to spend time with you, unquote." Another eye roll. The pair reached his office, and Troy slowed, facing Claire, "Gabriella called to see if you wanted to have dinner…"

Troy's brow furrowed, "She called the office? Why wouldn't she call my phone?"

Claire smiled, "She said she didn't want to bug you, knowing you'd be busy. I told her you had those meetings tonight," Troy pursed his lips, he did have two completely pointless meetings tonight with possible clients that Troy was fairly certain would lead nowhere, "so she and I are going to Riley's!" Troy smiled softly, ever since the pair had started dating and she had started frequenting the office, Claire and she had become fast friends. It was good for Gabriella because, though she'd never admit it, it meant she could spy on Troy. It was good for Claire because she was a twenty two year old University of Ohio graduate who moved to Boston for a change of pace, leaving behind all her family and friends. "There's this bartender there that I have a huge crush on, and Ella said she has the _perfect_…"

Troy held up his hand to stop her, "Do not rub your freedom in my face, just go out with my girlfriend and leave me in peace."

Troy turned towards his office, prepared to enter when Claire cleared her throat, "Um…" Troy turned his head back towards her, his eyes narrowing at her guilty look, "You also had four other calls…" his stomach dropped, "…from a Jackie Gray?"

Troy turned back towards his office, trying not to let Jackie see his reaction, "Okay, thank you." He mumbled before entering his office and closing the door behind him.

Shit. Now she was calling his work.

Troy sighed, a million thoughts running through his head, the most prominent of which was Gabriella. With Claire knowing, it was only a matter of time before she told Gabriella, and though he wasn't hiding this, he didn't want his current girlfriend to have to deal with his crazy ex-girlfriend's antics.

Pulling out his phone, he made a split second decision, calling the last number that had called him, not at all weighing the pros and cons attached to this action. _"Hello?"_

"What the fuck is your problem?" Troy sneered into the phone, attempting to keep his voice low but still coat each word with venom.

He could practically see her smile, _"Hi, Troy. I knew you'd eventually call me back."_ Jackie retorted calmly.

"Did all your boy toys dry up?" Troy asked harshly, "Did you suddenly realize that none of them are going to be able to support your spending habit?"

"_I can support my own spending habit."_ She replied simply, _"Though, it is nice to have a boyfriend of my own that buys me pretty things."_

"Except you can't have just one boyfriend, Jackie, remember?"

Jackie scoffed, _"Please, Troy, that was a one time thing."_

"A one time thing that lasted for months." Troy pointed out, "Look, I didn't call to discuss your relationship status, it does not at all interest me. Stop. Fucking. Calling. Me."

"_Your girlfriend's sweet. Has she let you get to second base yet?"_

"My sex life is none of your business." Troy shot back, a tad too defensively. He didn't like hearing her taunt Gabriella, even if she'd never hear it, "Stop calling me."

"_Should I start calling Gabriella, instead?"_ she asked sweetly, _"Tell her about the Troy _I _dated. The real Troy."_

"She is dating the real Troy."

"_Sure she is."_

"Stop calling Jackie. Don't make me have to make this into a big deal." Troy gave her no chance to respond, ending the call abruptly. Falling into his chair, Troy released a sigh. He needed to see Gabriella. Quickly dialing a number he had long since memorized, Troy lifted the phone to his ear, listening to the monotone rings. Once. Three times. Five times.

"_Hi, you've reached Gabriella Montez and I am away from my phone right now. Please leave me a message…"_

Cutting off her voicemail, Troy leaned back in his chair, staring out of the window and onto the ever darkening Boston streets. Fuck this.

His computer and work belongings were packed in five minutes, his coat back on his shoulder as he made his way out of the office door. Claire looked up as he exited, confusion covering her face, "Mr. Bolton?"

"Cancel my meetings," he told her simply, continuing to walk past her desk, "you're not seeing Gabriella tonight, I am." Claire's face fell into a frown just as Troy turned to face the elevator. Maybe it was unprofessional, but right now, he didn't care.

* * *

It always seemed to baffle Gabriella how one could feel both disgusting and amazing at the same time. Swaying her hips to the beat that she had stuck into her head, Gabriella practically danced into the kitchen. She was gross, covered in sweat from the run she had just taken, but she felt amazing. That was what running had always done for her.

Grabbing a glass from the cupboard, Gabriella began whistling to herself as she filled her glass with water. She was actually excited to go out with Claire tonight and had been planning in her head what she would wear. She had that teal dress that was one shouldered, but her red dress definitely flattered her figure more. She could wear her black heels with either, so it was really…

Gabriella spun around as she heard her door fly open, breathing a sigh of relief when she found herself faced with her boyfriend. "Troy!" Gabriella began, greeting him with a smile, only to feel her face drop when she remembered her appearance. "_Troy!_"

Troy dropped his briefcase and jacket on the ground, not even momentarily pausing before sliding his arms around her waist and greeting her with a kiss, "Hi, baby."

Despite her worries, Gabriella responded to his kiss, having missed him. "I thought you had work."

"I don't." Troy told her, occupying her lips once more before moving his lips to the base of jaw and descending southward.

Gabriella smiled, "Troy, please, I'm gross."

"Liar."

Rolling her eyes, Gabriella pushed on his chest, moving him back, "Troy, stop, I'm gross. I didn't know you were coming home tonight. I already made plans with Claire."

Troy shook his head, "I told her we're spending time together, and no, you're not gross," he glanced down, surveying the tank top and shorts she was wearing, "trust me, there's nothing gross about what I'm seeing."

Looking up, Gabriella pursed her lips, "Troy, I just went running. I smell like a dirty locker room and am caked in my own sweat."

"Well, I think you're beautiful." Troy said honestly, making a small smile form on Gabriella's face as she felt her heart melt at his words, "But, if you insist on stating that you're gross, _I'm _going to have to insist that you shower."

Gabriella smirked, "Oh really? What happened to 'I'm beautiful'?"

"You're the one insisting." Troy pointed out, "Don't worry, I'll supervise."

Gabriella nodded as Troy moved in on her, "I bet you…_will!_" Gabriella's last word came out as a scream as Troy gripped onto her waist and lifted her over his shoulder, "Troy! Put me down!" Gabriella half screamed, half giggled as Troy carried her into her master bathroom.


End file.
